Dance Storm
by Kitty and Kurry
Summary: An all-girls dance club and an all-boys voice class join forces to win a competition. Rated to be safe. (On Hiatus until I get some inspiration. X.x)
1. Chapter 1

Gods, I'm so nervous. I can't believe I'm actually posting this thing. *takes deep breath* Okay, here we go.  
  
Review nicely and I'll post the next chapter. This chapter is mostly introductions. Okies? Right, enjoy! ^___^  
  
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The sun shone fresh and golden through the window. A bird chirped in the tree outside, welcoming the new day. The world was waking up, calm, peaceful, anticipatory of new experiences...  
BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!  
Kitty Tashimono promptly reached over and smashed her alarm clock. Groaning, she buried her head further under her pillow.  
RAP! RAPRAPRAPRAPRAPRAP!!  
'C'mon Kitty! Get up and I'll buy you a danish!' a light voice called from the hall.  
After a moment's hesitation, Kitty's head rose from the bundle of covers. The dark-haired girl sighed.  
'There better be coffee with it.'  
Her best friend, Kurry Kurishi, overheard from outside and giggled. The slim blonde moved to the next door down. Raising her fist, she was about to knock when the door was opened from the inside.  
Startled, the two girls fell back. 'GAH!' Then Kat, Kitty's sister and Kurry's other best friend, burst out laughing.  
'Well, I'm glad to see you're awake,' Kurry chuckled. 'Now we just gotta roust Kitty.'  
Just then Kitty's door opened and she came out looking like the Wrath of Ra. Kurry grinned sympathetically. 'Kat, help your poor sis out, will ya? I'll dash down to the café and get us some breakfast.'  
When Kurry got back, the other two were ready and ravenous. They all dug into breakfast, Kitty eagerly searching the bag for the coffee.  
The three friends attended an all-girls school for the arts. Dancing, writing, martial, sculpting, painting, musical instruments, you name it, they had it. This school was home to 1700 girls, all of which lived on the immense campus. Classes were really quite easygoing and the girls always had plenty of downtime. All in all, they loved their school. It was home.  
Kat loved to sculpt. She had an active imagination and it reflected in her work. Her dorm room was filled with sculptures, finished and half- done. She'd even done one of Kurry as an angel, Kitty as a demon and was currently working on one of herself with eagle wings. She also adored the dance, and had joined her sister in martial arts.  
Kitty was a fighter. She took martial arts and excelled at it, as well as the saxophone. She and Kurry would sometimes try duets on their instruments and Kitty enjoyed the dance as well.  
Kurry was a dreamer. She took writing and violin, and often meditated quietly on books or music whenever she got the chance. But her real passion was dance. Music flowed through her veins and carried her along with it. She was top of her class and there was no beat she couldn't handle. Music was in her soul and she loved it.  
After breakfast the girls got ready for class. As they moseyed down to the dance room, they were stopped by a commotion in the hallway.  
Pam, Courtney, and Ashley were at it again. The three other girls had been rivals to Kurry, Kitty and Kat from the beginning. This time they were picking on a girl named Andraaia, one of the background engineers for the dance shows.  
Kurry's eyes narrowed. One thing about the dance group was they stuck together. Beckoning to Kitty and Kat, she pushed through the crowd that had gathered.  
Pam was in the middle of an insult when Kurry interrupted. 'Don't you have anything better to do?'  
Pam whirled, hands on hips. 'And what gives you the right to butt in?' she demanded scathingly.  
Kurry remained calm. 'The fact that you're picking on a friend of mine,' she replied, her voice strong.  
'Yeah, so what are you gonna do about it?' Ashley retorted.  
Sensing Kitty and Kat flanking her, Kurry smirked and crossed her arms. 'Well, it's not what I'm going to do, it's what you are.' When Pam tried to protest, Kurry cut her off, speaking harshly this time. 'And you are going to leave Andraaia alone. Got it?'  
Courtney blurted foolishly. 'And what if we don't?'  
Kurry raised herself to her full height. 'Then I'll have something to say about it.'  
Pam opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Kurry narrowed her eyes dangerously. She wasn't backing down. Pam glared daggers at Kurry, before hissing in frustration and pulling her lackeys along with her. 'C'mon girls, let's let the goody-goods get to class.' And with that they flounced off.  
Kurry let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Kitty growled low in her throat. 'I'll give her goody-good...'  
Kat laid a restraining hand on her sister's arm. 'Nah, let them go. They're not worth the effort.'  
Kurry just sighed, and waved the issue aside. 'C'mon y'all, let's get to class.'  
The girls sorted themselves out and settled down as Mrs. Calaban clapped her hands. 'Alright girls, you know the drill. I think we'll practise routines 3 and 5 today...'  
As the girls prepared, Andraaia sidled up to Kurry. 'Hey, thanks for earlier,' she murmured shyly.  
Kurry nodded and smiled. 'Eh, no problem. The only way to deal with girls like that is to stand up to them.'  
Andraaia lowered her eyes. 'Yeah, I'm still working on that.'  
Kurry touched her shoulder. 'Don't worry about it. So how're the pyrotechnics coming?'  
Andraaia perked up at this. Pyrotechnics were her specialty. 'Oh, they're wonderful. We're expecting a new shipment of chemicals next week.'  
'Great,' Kurry grinned, before Kat called her over.  
'Oops, sorry, gotta go.' Kurry high-fived Andraaia and moved to the center of the room.  
Lifting her arms above her head, Kurry did a few stretches to warm up. As much as she loved the dance, she felt held back by the choice of music. Many of the rhythms were old, and slower than Kurry preferred. Kitty often joked about how the rhythm crew had to constantly blow cobwebs off the tapes. Secretly, Kurry agreed. The beats just weren't...intense enough.  
Someone started the music and Kurry shut her eyes. For the first few beats, she just let the music flow through her. Then her eyes snapped open and she began to move. In perfect sync with the music, she swayed and twisted, shifting side to side and twirling a bit. Her friends called her fluid, almost as if she WAS the beat. She wasn't sure about that, but she did know that she loved to dance.  
After the girls had practiced their routines a few times, they had one more class before they could break for lunch. Kurry had writing class, so she took leave of her friends and headed off on her own.  
When she arrived in class, Kurry immediately made her way to her favourite seat by the window. Taking out her books, she was suddenly startled when a soft voice spoke in her ear.  
'Hullo Kurry.'  
She jumped a mile. 'OH! Serenity, you scared the life out of me!'  
Her dear friend sat down, smirking. 'Gotcha that time.'  
Kurry grinned. 'So how'd you do on your composition?'  
'Not bad. Listen, can you spare a moment? I've got something to tell you.'  
Kurry leaned over a bit, intrigued. 'Go on, spill.'  
Serenity looked guiltily pleased. 'I've been going to writer's group on Sunday afternoons, where a bunch of writers get together to share and edit their work.'  
Kurry looked confused. 'Okay, that's cool, but why is it so special?'  
Serenity beamed. 'Well...I've met someone.'  
Kurry gasped excitedly. 'Really?!? Who!?!?'  
Seren blushed. 'His name is Seto and he's really sweet and he's a writer like me and he said he really likes my poetry and I met him a month ago and he invited me out to lunch a couple of times to talk and it was really fun and...yeah.' She took a deep breath.  
Kurry was delighted for her friend. 'Well, way to go girl! I'm happy for ya.'  
Serenity nodded. 'Thanks. Oh by the way, maybe you can come by after one of our meetings and meet him.'  
Kurry promised she'd make time, and then the class started. The girls handed in their compositions before taking some time to begin their next assignments.  
Lunch was the usual affair. Kurry, Kitty and Kat dumped their stuff in their dorms and headed off down the street to their favourite pizza parlour.  
Kitty waved to the girl behind the counter as the girls entered. 'Hey Isis! What's up?'  
The Egyptian girl came over to their usual table, wiping her hands on a towel. 'Hey girls, how's everything?'  
'Just fine. The usual, I think,' replied Kat.  
'Coming right up!' With that she headed to the kitchen.  
The food arrived soon after and the girls invited Isis to join them since her shift was over. As the girls were settling in to eat, the chime sounded on the door. Instinctively, Isis lifted her head and glanced towards the door. Her face lit up and she leapt from her seat into the arms of a tall boy with pointy, tri-coloured hair. He caught her tightly in a hug before she dragged him over to the table.  
'Hey all, I'd like you to meet Yami,' she introduced him. Yami waved nervously. Kurry raised her eyebrows at Isis, who was positively beaming.  
'Well, hi there. Come have some pizza with us.'  
The others scooted over so that Yami and Isis could sit together. Isis still looked like she was on Cloud Nine and Yami was trying not to chuckle. It was obvious that the two were very happy.  
'So, where'd you two meet?' Kitty asked.  
'Right in here, actually,' Yami answered.  
'When he ordered his pizza he invited me to sit with him,' Isis added.  
'It went from there,' Yami admitted.  
'And...he asked me to be his girlfriend,' Isis blushed.  
Yami snickered. 'Over a deluxe pizza.'  
They all chuckled.  
'Well, we're happy for you,' said Kat. The other two nodded.  
'Thanks.'  
They talked about random things while they ate, then the girls bade farewell to Yami and Isis and made their way back to school.  
There were four classes in a day, one each of the chosen for any certain girl, and Phys. Ed, which was mandatory. After lunch the three friends dressed for gym and joined their friends in the immense activity room.  
'Right! As you all know, Thursday is partner day. Pick a partner and practise your drills, alright?'  
Kurry and Kitty split off and picked their badminton drill to practise.  
THWOCK!  
'So,' Kitty started, 'met any cute guys yet?'  
THWOCK!  
'No,' Kurry replied, 'you know I'm not good with that kind of stuff. I get all frozen up.'  
THWOCK!  
'Well, I'll admit that being in an all-girls school doesn't help, but you gotta have some fun while you can. We've never been to a dance club before. Maybe we should go.'  
THWOCK!  
'Why? So we can have a bunch of guys stare at us and think it gives them the right to dance with us?'  
THWOCK!  
'One track minds, eh?'  
THWOCK!  
'You got it girl.'  
THWOCK!  
The class finished, Kurry gathered her things together and waved to her friends before starting towards the musical wing. This was Kurry's favourite wing of the school. She often came here to work or meditate, because it was the calmest wing of the school and usually you could hear the strains of someone practising. It was quite relaxing.  
But today, Kurry was in no mood for relaxation. She was ready to play. Having practised hard all week, she was finally prepared to put her violin skills to the test. Her duet partner, Hilary, looked psyched as well.  
Kurry took a deep breath. 'Hey, you ready?'  
'As ready as I'll ever be,' Hilary answered wryly.  
The two girls entered the music room. The other students were warming up. The violinists took their seats and prepped their violins as Mrs. Dubman took center-stage.  
'Alright ladies, Vivaldi's 'Winter'. One-and-two-and-three-and-four.'  
The basses started, followed by the cellos, violas and violins. Kurry tried her very best and when their cue came, she and Hilary stood up and played the best in-sync duet they could. At a fast tempo, this was rather difficult, but when the piece was finished, Mrs. Dubman congratulated everyone on a job well done. Ecstatic at having got that over with, the two girls hugged.  
'EEEEEE! We did it!' Hilary exclaimed.  
'W00t! Finally! I've been so nervous...but we did great!' Kurry agreed.  
When they settled down, the teacher handed out new music and they were given time to familiarise themselves with the notes. All too soon, the bell rang and the school day was over.  
Reaching her dorm room, Kurry collapsed on the bed, physically exhausted from all the adrenaline she felt when playing. Kat and Kitty came in a moment later, looking about as worn out as Kurry felt.  
'Two hours and a half of practising the roundhouse kick,' Kitty moaned. 'I won't be able to feel my legs for a week.'  
'Tell me about it,' Kat murmured, her face buried in the pillow.  
Kurry grinned tiredly. 'You two wanna have a nap before we go for supper?'  
Kitty yawned. 'Yeah.'  
Kat blinked wearily. 'Sounds good.'  
Kurry stretched out on the floor in the sun, Kitty curled up in the chair and Kat snuggled further into the pillow. With the warmth of the sun coming in, all three girls soon dropped off, tired after a rigorous day of learning.  
  
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Well, that wasn't so bad. Oh by the way, some OCCness in upcoming chapters. I tried some things out and I like it, so I hope you will too. *takes another deep breath* Please review. 


	2. Chapter 2

Another chapter. The fic is really picking up now. Hope y'all enjoy. And yes, I realise that it should have been OOC, or maybe it's OCO, or CCC, or...aw, who cares? Out-of-Characterness, okay? (Sheesh. I'll never get these codes right. -___-;)  
  
Anywho, enjoy! ^_______^  
  
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The next morning Kurry awoke to the patter of a soft spring rain against her window. Curling up, she turned towards the glass and just watched the droplets cascade down the window, until her alarm rang. As she stretched, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of excitement. Something was going to happen today, she could feel it.  
Dressing quickly, she dashed next door. Knocking rapidly, she entered without waiting for a reply. (The girls were such good friends that they often went into each others' rooms to wake them.)  
'Kitty!' Kurry squealed, clapping sharply. ''C'mon, get up! Something's gonna happen!'  
Kitty yawned tiredly. 'Wha?'  
'I dunno! Get up, it's a beautiful day!' She threw the curtains wide.  
Kitty cocked an eyebrow. 'Kurry, it's raining.'  
'So? It's still beautiful!'  
Kitty shook her head in confusion. 'I'll never understand you, girl,' she muttered, climbing sleepily out of bed.  
Kat came in a minute later, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 'Are we ready for breakfast yet? Whose turn is it?'  
'Yours, I believe,' Kitty giggled.  
'Darn.'  
After breakfast, courtesy of Kat, the three girls prepared for morning classes. Kurry left Kitty and Kat so they could change into their gis, and went off to writing.  
'Hey Seren,' Kurry high-fived her friend as she sat down.  
'Hiya. Are you still coming on Sunday?' Seren asked.  
'Of course. What time?'  
The two girls made their plans, then paid attention as the teacher started them on verb construction.  
Kurry had dance next. Grinning as she walked to the room, she met up with an exhausted Kitty and Kat.  
'Roundhouse kick again?' Kurry asked sympathetically.  
'Yeah, that and squats,' Kat grimaced, stretching.  
The girls entered the dance room and sat on the floor while their teacher got organised. Mrs. Calaban was looking confused about a sheaf of papers on her desk. The girls began to whisper in wonder as she came around her desk carrying the sheets.  
'Well, girls, I have exciting news. We've been invited to enter a dance competition at Centennial Stadium. It's at the end of May, next month, and it's for a program that will fund our school's facilities. I'll post this,' she waved the sheet at them, 'tonight and you can check it out then. But it appears,' she looked down her nose at another sheet, 'that our brother school across the river has also been invited and is suggesting that we join forces to make the show.'  
One girl raised her hand. 'How so? Like what do they do?'  
The teacher looked unsure. She removed her glasses and peered at the paper. 'Apparently, they sing, we dance, that's the deal. Their program is a bit different however. More modern.' She didn't look like she approved. 'They do say that they'll provide the facilities if we want to ship over there.' Mrs. Calaban leaned on a music stand. 'Well, this is a group thing. Give me your thoughts.'  
The girls started to murmur to each other, a low hum that filled the room. Kurry was thinking hard. Almost unconsciously, she found herself leaping up and dashing to the front of the room. Bowing neatly out of respect to Mrs. Calaban, Kurry turned to the class.  
'Yo!' she called. Everyone quieted. Kurry took a deep breath and spoke into the silence.  
'Er, hi. I know it's not really my place to say anything, but think for a minute. If we did this, and did it well, it could open new opportunities for us. It's talking about funding our school. That's extra money in our programs. And working with guys would be a new experience too.' When some of the girls still looked unsure, she added, 'Well, maybe we could have a vote.' And with that Kurry sat down again.  
'Good idea Kurry. How does this sound? We'll think about it through this class and before the bell we'll vote. Howzat?' Mrs. Calaban asked. The girls all nodded their consent and dispersed to work on their various routines.  
Kurry, Kitty, Kat and Andraaia gathered in a corner to discuss the issue at hand.  
'I think it could be fun,' said Andraaia. 'D'you think if we go I could come and help you with the show?'  
'Of course,' Kitty replied. 'It'll be an adventure.'  
Angela, one of the other dancers, came over just then.  
'My group had a thought. We asked the teacher if some of us could stay, 'cause we just started a new unit in art and don't want to postpone it. She says that those who want to go can go, and those who want to stay will be put into the other class. She says we can wing it from there. So I guess when we vote we'll see who goes.' She grinned at them and whispered conspiratorially, 'I hope you have fun.' Then she wandered back to her clan.  
Kurry pumped her fist. 'YES!'  
Kat and Kitty high-fived and Andraaia clapped excitedly. 'Yay! So it kinda doesn't matter what the vote is now, it'll just say who goes or not!'  
Very excited now, the girls went through their routines like wildfire and ten minutes before the bell they regathered, eagerly awaiting the vote.  
Mrs. Calaban chuckled. 'Y'all are really excited about this, aren't you?'  
Everyone nodded, even those who did not want to go. Having their very own girls in this competition was enough to excite them.  
'Well, you know if we do this, we'll have to work extra hard. We'll show those guys we've got what it takes, eh?'  
'YEAH!!'  
'Okay, all in favour of going?'  
Hands rose.  
'All in favour of staying?'  
More hands rose.  
Mrs. Calaban took count. 'Alright,' she said, smiling, 'I will contact our brother school and make plans. You will be duly notified. Those that want to go will go, so have no fear of that. The bell is about to ring. Have a good day.'  
BRRRRIINNGGG!  
Ecstatic, Kurry abruptly jumped up and down, hugged Kitty and Kat and dashed out of the room. 'C'mon! We gotta tell Isis!' The other two grinned at each other and ran after her.  
When the girls arrived at the pizza parlour, Kurry burst in the door. 'ISIS!' she hollered, since almost no-one was there.  
Isis came hurrying out of the kitchen. 'Oy! What's all the hullabaloo about?'  
'There's a dance competition coming up!' Kitty squealed.  
'And we're entering!' Kat added, beaming.  
'And it's gonna be so Much FUN!' Kurry finished, hopping up and down on one foot.  
'w00t! Awesome! That's great for you!' Isis exclaimed.  
'Yeah! We are sooooooo excited!' Kitty sighed and flopped into an empty booth. 'So how's Yami?'  
Isis blushed. 'Well enough I guess. He said he enjoyed lunch yesterday.'  
Kurry cocked an eyebrow. 'You guess?'  
'Hmm? Oh, no, I meant, he's fine, but I haven't spoken to him since yesterday. We only ever see each other at lunch,' Isis explained.  
'Ah.'  
Right on cue, the chime went off and Yami walked in. He stopped short as all the girls turned and stared at him. 'Er...did I miss something?'  
'No,' Kurry laughed. 'Hey Isis, you still got that old stereo around here somewhere? I feel like dancing.'  
'Yeah, it's in the back. I'll get it though. Joe only lets me and him back there.' She winked at Yami and sauntered out.  
Noticing how Yami flushed, Kitty sidled up and poked him. 'Lemme guess. A certain pizzeria owner caught you and a certain Egyptian gal making out?' she teased.  
Yami went beet red. 'More or less,' he admitted. Kitty chuckled.  
Isis hauled an old model boom box onto the counter. 'Whadda ya in the mood for?' she asked, grinning.  
'Medium beat. You got anyfink good?' Kurry replied.  
Isis just smirked. 'You got the moves, I got the beat.'  
Isis was known for her immense CD collection. She opened a drawer full of CDs and Kat oohed and ahhed as Isis searched for a CD. 'This is only half of it,' Isis informed her, removing a disk and sliding the drawer shut. Popping the disk in, Isis hit play.  
Almost reflexively, Kurry, Kitty and Kat moved into formation; Kurry in front and the other two flanking her. Isis joined them a second later, tossing a spoon to Kurry. In time to the music, the girls began to clap and sway side to side. Isis started on the words, lip-syncing.  
  
"Every time you're near baby,  
I get kinda crazy in my path for you,  
I don't know what to do,  
And oh baby,  
I get kinda shaky when they mention you,  
I just lose my cool.  
  
My friends tell me, something has come over me,  
And I think I know what it is,  
I think I'm in love."  
  
The other three joined in the chorus. Yami settled himself in a chair and watched, wide-eyed and grinning in amazement.  
  
"Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been doing silly things when it comes to you,  
Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you."  
  
Kurry mouthed the second verse, using the spoon as a makeshift mike. (She really couldn't sing worth a darn, but she had fun lip-syncing. XD) Turning in a slow circle, she grinned through her song at her friends, who were laughing and giggling in amusement. Yami was clapping along with them.  
  
"Just the other night baby,  
I saw you hangin'; you were with your crew,  
I was with mine too.  
You took me by surprise,  
When you turned and looked me in my eyes,  
Oh you really blew my mind.  
  
I don't know what's gotten into me,  
But I kinda think I know what it is,  
I think I'm in love.  
  
Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been doing silly things when it comes to you,  
Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you.  
Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you."  
  
Isis was looking right at Yami as she sang. Yami was blushing his head off. Kurry nudged Isis, who also blushed. Kat moved between the two to sing the bridge.  
  
"Something strange has come over me,  
Got me going out of my mind,  
Never met a guy like you before,  
You make me feel special inside,  
I think I'm in love."  
  
Kitty raised her eyebrows at her sister. Since when did Kat sing?  
  
"Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been doing silly things when it comes to you,  
Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you.  
  
Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been doing silly things when it comes to you,  
Boy I think that I'm in love with you,  
I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you."  
  
The girls burst out laughing as the song faded. Yami applauded and caught Isis by the waist. 'That was really cool, koi!' he exclaimed.  
'Awww!' teased Kitty and Kurry in unison.  
'Oh sheddup!' Isis reprimanded jokingly.  
They all went into hysterics again.  
Calming down, Kurry said, 'Oy, that was fun. Can we eat now?'  
Isis nodded. 'Sure. It should be ready by now.' She went into the back again.  
As they ate, the girls filled Yami in on the competition and were surprised when he suggested that he and Isis get tickets. They said they weren't sure how it was gonna work yet, but they promised they'd let the couple know. By then it was time to get back.  
The afternoon both flew by and crawled for Kurry. She had fun in strings, practising the new song with Hilary, but Phys. Ed just crawled by, until finally, FINALLY the bell rang.  
In a burst of energy, Kurry hurtled out the door. Flying down the hall, she leapt across the flagstones in the courtyard, heading for the dorm buildings. Kitty and Kat were close behind, but Kurry had already changed and was bouncing up and down on her bed when they arrived. 'Whoohoo! We're going! We're going!'  
Kitty burst out laughing. 'Sheesh, someone's hyper.'  
Kurry kept bouncing as she spoke. 'Well, do you know how excited I am? We get to *boing* go to a different school *boing* for like a MONTH *boing* to do that which we do best *boing* and have fun doing it *boing* along with a bunch of guys *boing* which will be a new experience because we've never even WORKED with guys before *boing*...Hmmm, this oughta be interesting.' She paused to muse on that for a moment.  
Kat rolled up her gi carefully. 'Well, even if the guys are complete dorks, we'll still do our best.'  
'I just hope they're decent. You know how I am with guys.' Kurry was suddenly worried.  
Kitty made a 'Pfft!' sound and waved the issue off. 'Nah, you'll be just fine. We all will. In fact, we are gonna knock them over backwards, girl!'  
The friends high-fived simultaneously.  
'w00t!'  
  
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Hee hee. We are cool, man. *grins* I'm beginning to not be nervous anymore. Just wait till we meet the guys though. Whew! Anywayz, please review! =D =D =D =D =D 


	3. Chapter 3

Hiya all. I know this chapter is short but the next one is HUGE so take it or leave it. Thanks to all who sent such kind reviews. I feel so loved! =D Anywho, enjoy! ^___^  
  
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Saturday passed in a blur for Kurry, Kitty and Kat. Kurry and Kitty could be heard practising their violin and saxophone all over the dorm. (Kat had taken to wearing earplugs. XD) Fortunately, Pam, Ashley and Courtney had made themselves scarce, so no problems with them, for which Kurry was glad. Mrs. Calaban had called a short dance meeting for Sunday morning to discuss the competition and at noon on Sunday afternoon she was going to meet Seren and Seto for lunch. That evening Kurry and her friends went to bed early and rose well-rested the next morning, ready for the day.  
There was an excited hubbub of activity in the dance room when they arrived. Andraaia seemed to be in her element, taking inventory on their equipment and discerning what needed to be packaged. Seeing Kurry and the sisters glancing around confusedly, she waved and hollered:  
'Go in the back! Mrs. Calaban will fill you in!' She pointed and Kurry waved her thanks.  
'Oh, hello girls,' Mrs. Calaban greeted them as they entered. 'I've got all the info you need. Have a seat.'  
'Okay, we've got a lot of work to do and only a week to do it in. Basically, you three are the only dancers who wanted, or were able, to go. We're also sending an understudy, just in case. Andraaia and her crew are going to work the background stuff. We'll see what kind of facilities they have when we get there. Now, all those going are responsible for their homework for the next month, as well as any extra baggage you may want to bring. I am told they have dorms for us, as well as a laundry service and food. Otherwise, you've gotta provide anything else you may need. Understood?'  
All three girls were grinning manically and Kitty let out a squeak. Mrs. Calaban cocked an eyebrow. 'Something wrong, Miss Tashimono?'  
'No Mrs. Calaban, it's just...this sounds so COOL!!!' Kitty was almost vibrating, she was so excited.  
A fond look passed over Mrs. Calaban's face. 'Yes, it does, doesn't it? But you three must realise, all the pressures on you. Make your school proud. Alright?' All three girls nodded seriously.  
'Good. The next week is prep week. We leave on Friday. Have your affairs in order by then. Now if you'll excuse me, I must speak with Andraaia about packing.' She left the room.  
'"Have your affairs in order"? She sounds like the CEO of some big company,' Kat giggled.  
Something clicked within Kurry and she gasped. 'Ack! What time is it?'  
Kitty checked her watch. 'Almost 11:00. Why?'  
Kurry stood up. 'I must go as well. I'm meeting a friend from writing class for lunch. Can y'all manage without me? I promise I'll help an extra lot when I get back.'  
Kitty grinned at her friend. 'Of course. We'll tell Mrs. Calaban where you went. Okay?'  
'Thank you!' With that she was gone.  
  
Kurry walked up to the squat community building and stood just under the overhang. At precisely 11:45, a bunch of people began to file out carrying books, binders and paper. Kurry sighed in relief. This was the right place.  
Serenity was almost the last one out. She squealed when she saw Kurry and hurried over to her. Beaming, the two girls embraced.  
'Hi! I'm so glad you came! I can't wait for you to meet him. He's just packing up his laptop,' Serenity explained. Kurry cocked an eyebrow at that. 'Laptop?'  
Just then a deep voice called, 'Seren?' and a dark haired guy with stunning ice-blue eyes came out the door. He walked up behind Serenity and gently touched her shoulder.  
Seren motioned between them. 'Kurry, this is Seto. Seto, Kurry.'  
The two shook hands. 'Hi. I'm a friend of Seren's from writing class.' Kurry smiled.  
'Pleased to meet you,' Seto said, also grinning. 'So, where are we going to eat?'  
As they walked to the café, Kurry pulled Seren a bit behind Seto so he couldn't overhear. 'He's TALL!' she whispered in her friend's ear.  
Seren nodded. 'I love his eyes. They're so...so...'  
'Intense?'  
'Exactly.'  
'Ladies.'  
Both jumped. Seto was holding the door to the café open for them. 'Lunch is on me,' he added, motioning them in. Serenity blushed and Kurry nudged her through the door, nodding her thanks at Seto.  
Throughout the meal, Kurry noticed that Seto kept staring fondly at Seren, then he would blink and shake his head, only to lapse back into staring a second later. Kurry could hardly keep from grinning, since Serenity would glance at him, blush and change the subject. It was obvious the two were falling. Hard.  
They discussed Seren's poems, Seto's stories and Kurry's compositions, which she had brought along in a small binder. When it was time to go, Seto offered to walk them back to the gates of school. He and Seren chatted non-stop all the way back, while Kurry just kind of listened. But she was happy that the normally quiet and shy Seren had found someone she could open up to.  
They had reached the gates. Seto turned to Seren. 'Meet me here next Sunday and I'll walk with you to writer's group,' he offered kindly. Seren smiled up at him. 'Okay, thanks. See you next weekend.' Seto looked like this: ^____^, squeezed Seren's hand gently and waved at Kurry as he left. Serenity sighed dreamily, gazing after him...until Kurry poked her in the ribs.  
'Ow!'  
Kurry chuckled. 'Earth to Serenity, you can come down from Cloud Nine now. You'll see him next week.'  
Serenity blushed scarlet. 'Was I that obvious?!?!' she cried anxiously.  
Kurry patted her friend on the shoulder. 'Naw, he'd never notice.'  
They began walking back to the dorms.  
'So what did you think of him?' Seren asked.  
'He's...nice. Really sweet. And he's completely infatuated with you, it's obvious. You could see it in his eyes,' Kurry stated matter-of-factly.  
Seren went like this: *-*. 'Really? No way!'  
Kurry nodded. 'Absolutely. He couldn't take his eyes off you.'  
If Seren blushed any more, she'd faint. 'Oh Ra...' Then she shook her head. 'It'll never work,' she moaned. 'I'm in here, he's out there, we only see each other once a week...'  
Kurry caught her by the shoulders and shook her gently. 'Hey! If he really cares for you, it should be enough. Okay?'  
Serenity nodded, although still a little glum. 'Alright.'  
They continued walking. After a moment of silence, Kurry snapped her fingers. 'Oh! Almost forgot to tell you! I'm going to a dance competition with another school. We leave on Friday and I won't be back for a month.'  
Serenity gasped. 'Oh wow, that's great! Good for you!'  
Kurry looked apprehensive. 'Yeah, but we're working with a guy's school on this.'  
'Really?'  
'Yeah. I'm incredibly nervous.'  
'Well, maybe this is a good thing. I hope you meet a nice guy while you're over there.'  
Kurry giggled at her friend's suggestion. 'Yeah, sure. Some guy I've never met is going to look at me.'  
Seren shrugged. 'You never know.'  
Kurry knew that. She just didn't believe it. 


	4. Chapter 4

*sweatdrops* Ah...heh heh. I made a mistake. This chapter is also kinda short, it's the NEXT chapter that's huge, but this chapter is important so pay attention. Sorry about that, I miscounted my chapters. ^^;; Anywho, hope you enjoy it. (Like I said, major out-of-character warning here! ^__^)  
  
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The next week flew by as well. Andraaia and her crew were kept incredibly busy packing equipment and preparing for departure. Kat and Kitty were given demo tapes for the next four moves they were to learn. Kat was taking along plenty of clay for a new sculpture and Kitty had gotten songs for the next month on her saxophone. Kurry had four papers to write and two new songs for the violin. But they were required to work on those on their own time, as they were up for a long haul in dancing.  
Finally, the big day arrived. The moment Kurry woke up, she grinned in pure excitement and leapt out of bed. She dashed next door to Kitty's room and for the first time ever Kitty opened the door before she had to knock. The two girls beamed at each other and squealed. 'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!'  
'Excited are we?' Kat was suddenly there beside Kurry.  
'YES! Now c'mon girls, we've gotta make a good first impression. We'll help each other pick outfits and then make sure all our stuff's together. Let's move.' Kurry took charge. The other two didn't mind. They knew she just wanted the trip to be perfect.  
The three girls had a lot of fun picking out clothes for each other. After half an hour, they'd finally decided. Kurry was wearing slimfit blue jeans, a soft yellow tank top and a light blue sweater that matched her jeans. She brushed her golden hair straight and let it shimmer down her back to her waist. Kitty was wearing black jeans and a kawaii black top that had those sleeves that hang down from the elbow, and she combed her chocolate brown locks down so they bounced neatly over her shoulders. Kat had chosen a deep green sweater that matched the colour of her eyes and black pants with a white stripe on each leg. She'd done her dark hair in a ponytail. Once they were dressed they gathered their luggage and hauled it downstairs to the dance room, locking their dorms behind them.  
Once again Andraaia had been put in charge. She seemed to enjoy the leadership. As the dancers entered, they were immediately roped into helping. Kitty and Kat took care of everyone's bags, while Kurry and a girl named Xantcha heaved the boxes and cases of equipment out to the bus.  
The two schools had gone all-out. Pooling their funds, they'd rented an immense Greyhound-type bus to move in and there were plenty of comforts for the two-and-a-half hour journey. They were to leave at 10:00 sharp and according to Andraaia they were right on schedule. Her girls were loading the bus, while their friends and roommates waited around to see them off. At five minutes to ten, all the gear was packed, the bus was loaded and the girls were told to say farewell. Kurry hugged Hilary and Seren, who told her to phone if she could. Kitty and Kat were saying goodbye to Megan and Robyn, friends from martial arts class. The farewells over, Andraaia herded everyone onto the bus. Mrs. Calaban took a head count and everyone waved frantically out the window as the bus started up. Kurry suddenly poked Andraaia and pointed out the window. Pam, Ashley and Courtney were standing there, incredulous (and jealous) looks on their faces. Kurry and Andraaia waved sweetly and burst into laughter as the bus pulled away. They were on their way!  
During the bus ride, the girls talked, had snacks and played cards. They were permitted to move about as long as they didn't stand up too long. Kurry plopped into the seat next to Kitty, who was checking out some of the features on her chair. Apparently she'd discovered the automatic comfort control and was having fun making the chair go up and down. Kurry was staring anxiously off into space, contemplating the "what if's" of the trip. She began to mutter out loud to herself, with Kitty only half- listening.  
'What if they're not decent guys? What if we don't make it to the next level? What if Pam and co. show up? What if rabid sharks attack the competition? I dunno what I was thinking! I can't dance in front of a bunch of guys! What if I make a fool of myself?!' she suddenly cried out.  
Kitty sighed and put her chair into the upright position. 'You won't make a fool of yourself. It's in your blood. You love dancing and you're good at it. So why wouldn't you want to strut your stuff?' she reassured Kurry. The blonde girl grinned fondly at her dark-haired friend. Kitty always knew just what to say to make Kurry feel better. 'Well, even if its one big flop, I'm glad you came,' she said. Kitty grinned back. 'No problem. ^____^'  
Mrs. Calaban stood up. 'Girls, we're almost there. Remember, best behaviour and let's just...do our best,' she told them. The girls started to gather their belongings, yet there was tension in the air. Even the teacher seemed nervous.  
There was a rush to look out the windows as the bus pulled through the gate. The girls oohed and ahhed at the immensity of the school, which lay at the end of a long sweeping drive. The bus slowed to a crawl as it made its way up the lane.  
  
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Up at the school, a violet eyed boy was gazing out the window, only half-listening to his voice teacher's instructions. As the bus came into view, he raised his head and called out, 'Oy! They're here!' There was a general stampede for the door. The teacher threw his hands up in defeat and followed his class out to the lawns.  
  
************************************************  
  
The bus stopped in a large parking oval. As the girls dismounted, they noticed a host of guys gathering nearby. Trying to ignore them for now, Andraaia and her crew set to work offloading equipment while Kurry, Kitty and Kat piled duffel bags and instrument cases nearby to be sorted. A tall, lanky teacher walked up to Mrs. Calaban and shook her hand. 'Hullo, I'm Mr. Topoli. Welcome to our school. My boys will help you unload. Did you have a pleasant journey?'  
Mrs. Calaban nodded and the two began making plans for dorming arrangements.  
  
************************************************  
  
The same boy with violet eyes who had called out in class was now standing on the green, observing the arriving girls. As he watched, a slim girl with waist-length blonde hair exited the bus and dashed over to two dark-haired girls who were hauling bags out of one compartment. His eyebrows rose involuntarily as she piled the bags nearby...then he was jabbed in the ribs.  
'Ow! WHY must you always DO that, Bakura?!'  
His white-haired friend grinned. 'Because your reaction is so funny, Malik,' he taunted. Malik took a half-hearted swing at him and missed. Bakura just chuckled.  
Another white-haired boy came up on Malik's right. 'Yo, some fine lookin' girls we get to work with, eh?' he drawled. Bakura smirked. 'Ryou, you think so much and yet so little.' Ryou nodded absently, then 'Hey! What's that supposed to mean?' But Bakura wasn't listening anymore. He leaned nonchalantly on Malik's shoulder and muttered, 'So which one strikes your fancy?'  
Malik's eyes bugged out. 'Bakura!'  
Bakura rolled his eyes and smacked his friend lightly upside the head. 'Not like that, you hentai! I just meant, which one's caught your eye?'  
Malik considered for a moment, then indicated the blonde. 'That one there. She's cute.'  
Bakura nodded. 'See the dark-haired one she's talking to? She's got green eyes. I always did have a thing for green eyes.'  
'She and the other dark one must be sisters,' Ryou mused. 'They almost look alike.'  
Just then, the females in question glanced right at them. All three boys turned away, whistling innocently.  
  
************************************************  
  
'He was ogling you,' Kat stated simply.  
'Which one?'  
'The one with violet eyes.'  
Kurry shook her head. 'No way. No blinkin' way.'  
Kitty nodded. 'Yep, it's true. He was totally checking you out, girl.'  
Kurry glanced quickly at them, then shook her head again. 'Nuh uh. And by the way, the taller white-haired one is checking Kat out.'  
Kat jumped a little and flushed. Kitty giggled at her sister's predicament.  
'Besides, how probable is it that they're even singers?'  
  
************************************************  
  
'How probable is it that they're even dancers?'  
'I dunno, mate. I guess we'll have to find out, won't we?'  
Malik held out his palms, face up. Bakura and Ryou slapped them in a low five. Malik smirked and cocked an eyebrow.  
'Gentlemen, its showtime.'  
  
************************************************  
  
'Well, even if they aren't singers, they'll still see the show,' Kat pointed out.  
'Right. We're still doing our best,' Kitty reminded them.  
Kurry smirked and cocked an eyebrow.  
'Ladies, let's rock 'em!'  
  
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w00t! Yayzerz. I know I borrowed that whole 'It's in your blood' line from Harry Potter, but it fit really well. Oh, and I own Mr. Topoli. (The name sucks. I know. -___-;) Hope you enjoyed. It gets good from here on in. Please review and I'll update again soon.  
  
Fanx! ^__________^ 


	5. Chapter 5

Okies, sorry for the long wait but I've just started mid-terms. So here's the really long chapter to keep you busy and I hope you enjoy. ^______^  
  
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The girls had been settled into their new dorms. As it was much too late to have a meeting now, the girls were just relaxing and had been told that dinner would be sent up. Kurry was rooming with Andraaia and Kitty and Kat were next door. Kurry tested the bedsprings, then flopped down and sighed. 'Comfy.'  
Just then there came a knock at the door and Andraaia went to answer it. A tall, thin guy with black hair was standing there. 'Erm...hallo,' he muttered, shuffling his feet. 'I'm from the singer's class...I was sent to give you this.' He offered a box of pizza. Kurry sat up straight at the smell. 'Hawaiian!' she cried. 'Thanks!'  
Andraaia motioned him through the door. 'C'mon in. What's your name?' she asked.  
'Duke. What's yours?'  
'Andraaia. Nice to meet you.'  
The two nodded at each other.  
'So what do you do?' both asked at the same time, then flushed.  
'I'm into pyrotechnics,' Andraaia went first.  
'Really? That's cool. I do sound stage and a touch of lighting. But for some reason whenever I do lights they tend to burn out on me,' Duke admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Andraaia chuckled. Then Duke jumped. 'Holy Toledo! I have 8 other pizzas to deliver! I'd better go. Enjoy your dinner!' He dashed helter-skelter out the door.  
The moment Andraaia was sure he was gone, she let out a huge breath and squealed, 'Did you SEE him? He was CUTE! ^______^'  
Kurry, who had wisely stayed out of that whole exchange, chuckled as she opened the pizza. 'D'you mean the way he looked or the way he acted around you?'  
'Both,' said Andraaia, then blushed deeply. 'O-O Waaaaait, whadda ya MEAN "around me"?'  
'Ohhhh, I think he was pretty taken with you.' Kurry giggled at her friend's expression. 'Here, you should've invited him in for pizza!'  
Andraaia's eyes widened. 'Aw! That is SO unfair!' she gasped. Kurry grinned. 'I'm just teasing ya. Here, have some pizza.'  
Over in the next room, the pizza had already been delivered. Kitty, having eaten three pieces, was pacing hyperly up and down in the middle of the floor. Kat was lounging on one of the beds, absently watching her sister pace, until she got seasick and ordered her to stop.  
'I can't,' Kitty insisted, 'I'm so nervous about tomorrow.'  
'Yeah, me too. But a good night's rest and our best foot forward tomorrow will benefit us greatly,' Kat said wisely.  
Kitty paused in the middle of the floor. 'I wonder when the meeting is.'  
Right on cue there came a knock at the door. Kitty hastened to answer it, to find Kurry and Andraaia on the doorstep. Kurry was holding a piece of paper and both girls had confused looks on their faces. 'Oy, did you two get a notice with your pizza?'  
Kitty shrugged. 'I dunno. C'mon in, I'll check.'  
While Kitty rummaged around for the misplaced paper, Kurry, Kat and Andraaia scrutinised the one they had. Kurry read it aloud.  
  
"To the New Arrivals,  
  
We humbly request an audience with  
you at our first meeting tomorrow morning  
at nine. It will take place in the Voice Room  
and breakfast will be provided. The meeting  
will consist of figuring out what exactly we have  
to work with and how to go about creating a  
show worthy of your talents. We ask that you  
come prepared to show your stuff. Directions  
to the Voice Room are given below.  
Sincerest thanks,  
Mr. Topoli's Voice Class"  
  
Following were a list of instructions such as "walk down the hall and turn right." Kurry flipped the paper over and back, then raised her eyebrows and said, 'Well, at least they're polite.'  
'I'll say. I wonder who wrote this?' Kat mused.  
'I found it!' Kitty grinned triumphantly as she pulled the paper from the bottom of the trash can and held it aloft.  
Major sweatdrop, then Kurry said, 'Okay, so we'll all leave together at quarter to nine. Alright?'  
The other girls nodded and Kurry with Andraaia in tow headed for their dorms, in anticipation of a good night's sleep.  
  
Promptly at quarter to nine, the four friends met in the hall. Following the directions on the sheet, they found their way downstairs to the Voice Room. When they arrived they discovered that most of the other girls were milling about, checking out the facilities, munching on bagels and a few guys had gotten up the courage to show them around. Mrs. Calaban was in the middle of the room. She glanced up as Kurry and the others sidled in and sighed in relief. "Good, they made it.' She signalled to Mr. Topoli and he clapped for silence.  
Mrs. Calaban went up to the front of the room, off the floor. As everyone gathered, she called for silence.  
'Thank you. I hope everyone slept well. This meeting is basically discussing what we have to work with and then we'll determine what can be used,' she explained.  
'With our beat and your moves there's NOTHIN' we can't do!' some guy yelled.  
Mrs. Calaban struggled not to chuckle. 'Well, thank you, but we'll see. Now, anyone want to put anything on the table?'  
Kurry noticed the three guys she'd seen yesterday huddled in a corner, murmuring to each other. Then one of them grabbed a mike and spoke into it.  
'Um, excuse me?'  
Mrs. Calaban looked at the violet-eyed boy with the mike. 'Yes?'  
He coughed slightly and said, 'My two friends and I were working on a little something this summer. Perhaps you'd like to hear it?'  
Mrs. Calaban looked dubious. 'Is it appropriate?' she sighed.  
Malik crossed his arms. 'Depends whether you're a hentai or not,' he smirked. A few of the girls tittered.  
Mrs. Calaban raised an eyebrow. 'Do they have a good beat?' she asked, interested.  
Malik shrugged. 'Meh. You can figure that out for yourself.'  
Mrs. Calaban was trying not to smile at this defiant young man before her. She nodded acquiescingly and said, 'Take it up with Kurry and her girls. They're the ones who dance.'  
The class dispersed, continuing the mini-tours as the teachers got organised. Malik glanced around the bustling room, attempting to find Kurry. His gaze fell on the blond he'd seen earlier and as he watched her he somehow knew this was Kurry. She had the look of a dancer about her. She was bent next to a lighting console, examining it. He sidled up behind her and spoke low into the microphone.  
'So, you dance?'  
Being right next to a speaker, Kurry jumped and whirled around. Malik chuckled. 'Did I scare ya?' he joked. Kurry let out a breath. 'Sheesh, you're trying to get rid of me, aren't you?'  
'Nah. So, do you dance?' he persisted.  
Kurry nodded. 'Yeah, I dance. I'm Kurry.'  
He nodded. 'Malik Ishtar. Pleased to meet you.' They neatly shook hands.  
'So what do you do? I mean, you said you had something, is it music? D'you play?' Kurry asked.  
Malik shook his head. 'I sing. My friends and I tried our hand at recording a few songs this summer. That's them over there, the two white- haired ones. Ryou's got a treble-bass and Bakura's a tenor, like me.'  
Kurry gasped. 'Oh, treble-bass voices are lovely. And rare too.'  
Malik nodded, looking rather peeved. 'Yeah, Bakura and I would kill to have a voice like his.'  
'Aw, tenors aren't that bad,' Kurry said slyly. 'Are you gonna sing so we can hear what we have to work with?'  
Malik cocked an eyebrow. 'You really want to hear them?' He sounded incredulous.  
'Well, yeah, that's why we're here,' Kurry told him. 'Go sing. We'll see what kind of beat you've got.' There was a challenge in her voice.  
Malik grinned. 'You want a good beat? You've got a good beat.'  
He sauntered out to the middle of the floor. Still holding the mike, he spoke into it, attracting everyone's attention.  
'Uh, excuse me, again. After conferring with Kurry,' here he inclined his head politely at her, 'we've decided to test a couple of our songs and would appreciate an audience.' He glanced at Mrs. Calaban for consent. She nodded and motioned for him to continue. Malik grinned and went into a huddle with Bakura and Ryou.  
'Okay, here's our chance. No screwups. Ryou, hit the disk. Bakura, mikes for you and Ryou,' he directed quietly. Bakura looked at him funny, as Ryou went over to the stereo. 'We're singing?'  
Malik nodded determinedly. 'Yeah, whatcha think we were gonna do? Lip- sync?'  
Ryou put the disk in the stereo to the music side. He dashed quickly to his place on Malik's right and Bakura tossed him a microphone. 'Number 9,' Malik whispered over his shoulder and the other two nodded. 'Right.' Malik motioned at the stereo. 'Oy, hit number nine for us, will ya?' Duke, who happened to be closest, fiddled with the buttons for a sec and then hit play. Malik smirked a challenge back at Kurry, who stood with her arms crossed next to Kitty and Kat. 'You'll enjoy this,' he grinned. She cocked an eyebrow. 'We'll see.'  
  
Malik: "You're the one for me,  
You're my ecstasy,  
You're the one I need..."  
  
The beat started up. The three bishies started snapping their fingers in time to the beat, grinning cockily until their next cue came.  
  
All: "Get down, get down,  
And move it all around,  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around."  
  
Kurry noticed that they didn't move around a lot. Well, they needed some help with their moves but that beat sure was catchy. She found that she was tapping her foot in time to the rhythm.  
  
Malik: "Hey baby love I need a girl like you,  
Tell me if you feel it too.  
I'm in delusion every minute every hour,  
My heart is crying out for you."  
  
Malik: "I feel like heaven when I look in your eyes,  
I know that you are the one for me.  
You drive me crazy 'cause you're one of a kind,  
I want your lovin' baby,  
And I want it right now."  
  
All: "Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around."  
  
Kurry had been searching for the perfect beat for a long time. This came close; it was quick and light and made her want to dance. But it wasn't enough...she didn't know why she thought she'd find the perfect beat here, but something about this violet-eyed boy was strange...his rhythm ran different.  
  
All: "Ooo, baby you're so fine,  
I'm gonna make you mine,  
Your lips they taste so sweet.  
You're the one for me,  
You're my ecstasy,  
You're the one I need."  
  
The beat changed all of a sudden. Kurry was confused until she realised that Bakura was rapping the second verse. She rolled her eyes a little at that. Typical guys.  
  
Bakura: "C'mon girl and get down,  
Spike it up, flip it, and move it all around,  
Hit it with this, if you wanna get with this,  
Put ya at the top of my list.  
Uh huh."  
  
Malik: "I feel like heaven when I look in your eyes,  
I know that you are the one for me.  
You drive me crazy 'cause you're one of a kind,  
I want your lovin'  
And I want it right now."  
  
All: "Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around."  
  
All: "Ooo, baby you're so fine,  
I'm gonna make you mine,  
Your lips they taste so sweet.  
You're the one for me,  
You're my ecstasy,  
You're the one I need."  
  
Malik: "I feel like heaven when I look in your eyes,  
I know that you are the one for me.  
You drive me crazy 'cause you're one of a kind,  
I want your lovin' baby,  
And I want it right now."  
  
All: "Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa"  
  
The bridge was a little slower and rather sweet. Kurry unintentionally caught Malik's eye as he sang and quickly glanced away, trying not to blush. Kitty, who had appeared on her left, nudged her teasingly, grinning.  
  
All: "You're the one for me,  
You're my ecstasy,  
You're the one I need..."  
  
All: "Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
  
Get down, get down,  
Yeah......."  
  
Everyone applauded as the guys finished. Malik took a deep breath and let it out slowly, gathering himself before he turned to Kurry again, cocky once more. 'Well? What didja think?' he asked.  
Kurry nodded nonchalantly. 'Not bad, not bad at all. I liked it. D'you have anything else?'  
Malik cocked an eyebrow. Behind him, Bakura and Ryou got twin evil grins on and glanced significantly at each other.  
'Oh yeah, we got another beat. But uh...it's a little intense. D'you think you can handle it?' Malik asked, still smirking.  
Kitty stepped forward, indignant. 'Oho, you dunno who you're talking to!' she drawled.  
Kat joined in. 'Yeah, this is Kurry Kurishi. There's NO beat she can't handle!'  
Kurry rolled her eyes fondly at her friends. 'My friends have too much confidence in me,' she said sheepishly. 'But do your beat and we'll see how it goes.'  
Malik inclined his head courteously at her as he and the white-haired duo backed up. Someone hit the music and Malik began, grinning through his song.  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be good, girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Kurry's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline as the beat started. It sounded...vaguely Egyptian in some ways. But all too soon she realised it was only the opening bar and then the beat REALLY started and her eyes went wide.  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be wild,  
Gotta know just who to dial, baby,  
And that's me.  
If you really like it hot,  
Get someone who hits the spot, honey,  
Oh yes."  
  
Malik put all of his talent into this song. It was his favourite as he had come up with the beat and most of the words.  
  
Ryou: "And if you wanna get it done,  
Then you gotta get the one,  
The one who's got it goin' on."  
  
Ryou slid forward around Malik to his right, singing his part like an expert. Bakura sidled up on Malik's left, belting out his follow-up for all he was worth.  
  
Bakura: "If you wanna make it last,  
Gotta know just who to ask,  
Baby it's gotta be the best.  
And that's me."  
  
Ryou moved between them as Malik sang the next bit. As they hit the chorus, Ryou leaned suavely on Malik's shoulder and Bakura backed against a pillar nearby. Every girl in the room collectively inhaled at the striking image they made.  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be good girl,  
Get yourself a All: Bad Boy.  
If you really want it good girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Malik sang the next verse as well. Inside, he was secretly grinning like a loon, seeing the shocked and increasingly impressed looks on the three dancers' faces.  
  
Malik: "Get it like it could be,  
Would be,  
Yeah like it should be All: If you want it to be good girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Malik: "If you like it innovative,  
Better get someone creative, honey,  
And if you want it to be jammin'  
Gotta get some body slammin' baby."  
  
Ryou: "And if you wanna get it done,  
Then you gotta get the one,  
The one who's got it goin' on."  
  
Bakura: "If you wanna make it last,  
Gotta know just who to ask,  
Baby it's gotta be the best.  
And that's me."  
  
The two dark-haired dancers were blatantly staring open-mouthed at the white-haired bishies as they sang their lines. Kitty gasped to herself when Ryou glanced right at her. +He's got a treble-bass! Whew!+ She thought and blushed immediately after. Kat was too busy trying not to swoon to think.  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be good girl,  
Get yourself a All: Bad Boy.  
If you really want it good girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Malik: "Get it like it could be,  
Would be,  
Yeah like it should be All: If you want it to be good girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Malik: "Now listen..."  
  
All: "These are things, Malik: Your momma shouldn't know, All: These are things, Ryou : I really wanna show, All: These are things, Bakura: I wanna show you how. All: So won't you let me show you right now! Bakura: Ooo baby!"  
  
The Egyptian rhythm started again. Ryou was trying not to chuckle into the microphone from nervousness as he sang his next bit.  
  
Ryou: "And if you wanna get it done,  
Then you gotta get the one,  
The one who's got it going on."  
  
Bakura: "If you wanna make it last,  
Gotta know just who to ask,  
Baby it's gotta be the best,  
And that's me my lady."  
  
Bakura was really having a ball, snapping his fingers and tapping one foot against the pillar. Malik rolled his eyes a little and all three belted out the last chorus.  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be good, girl,  
Get yourself a All: Bad Boy Malik: That's right. All: If you really want it good girl,  
Gotta get yourself a  
Bad Boy Bakura: If you really want it,  
If you really want it, Malik: Get it like it could be,  
Would be,  
Yeah like it should be,  
If you want it be good  
Gotta be like it should."  
  
BG: "If you really want it good,  
If you really want it good,  
  
Malik: I like this  
  
Bakura: If you really...  
  
BG: If you really want it good,  
If you really want it good,  
  
Malik: I'm your bad boy - I'm your bad boy  
Oh yeah..."  
  
The Egyptian beat finally faded out and the guys lowered their mikes.  
'w00t!'  
'You go guys!'  
'Hoh yeah!'  
The room erupted in cheers for that performance. The three bishies high-fived elatedly, smirking. Malik broke away from his friends and sauntered up to Kurry. 'Well, what didja think?'  
Kurry smirked at him. 'I think it's our turn,' she said sweetly as she followed Kitty and Kat out onto the floor. Malik stared after her until Bakura cuffed him off the floor.  
The girls huddled for a moment. 'Okay, I was checking the beat with our moves and we'll ask for number 9 first. Routine Four. Alright?' The other two nodded. 'Gotcha.'  
Kurry turned back to Malik. 'Oy, put number 9 on would you please?' Malik rapidly complied.  
  
All: "You're the one for me,  
You're my ecstasy,  
You're the one I need..."  
  
Kurry took a deep breath and stretched a little, shaking out her limbs. +Right. Here we go.+  
The beat started. In formation, Kitty and Kat flanking Kurry, they began. Swaying, all three took slow steps forward, coming to a halt in perfect sync with the beat. Turning to one side, Kurry followed the singing beat, while the other two kept with the rhythm.  
  
All: "Get down, get down,  
And move it all around,  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around."  
  
Kurry could feel the rhythm pulsing through her. She lowered her eyes and just let the beat take control, while keeping her routine in the back of her mind so she stayed in sync with Kitty and Kat.  
  
Malik: "Hey baby love I need a girl like you,  
Tell me if you feel it too.  
I'm in delusion every minute every hour,  
My heart is crying out for you."  
  
"I feel like heaven when I look in your eyes,  
I know that you are the one for me.  
You drive me crazy 'cause you're one of a kind,  
I want your lovin' baby,  
And I want it right now."  
  
All: "Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around."  
  
All: "Ooo, baby you're so fine,  
I'm gonna make you mine,  
Your lips they taste so sweet.  
You're the one for me,  
You're my ecstasy,  
You're the one I need."  
  
Kurry was rather taken aback when she realised the boys were still singing; she'd thought they'd have switched to the recording. Backing up slightly, she spread her arms wide to indicate her friends as they moved forward as one with Bakura's rapping.  
  
Bakura: "C'mon girl and get down,  
Spike it up, flip it, and move it all around,  
Hit it with this, if you wanna get with this,  
Put ya at the top of my list.  
Uh huh."  
  
Kitty and Kat, being martial artists, tended to put a lot of their moves from that into dance. Now, they shifted forward, making their routine a little smoother than they normally would. The result was an effortless and powerful effect that made Ryou raise his eyebrows and Bakura catch slightly in the middle of his verse. Striking grey and green eyes held soft brown and hazel ones spellbound for an instant before the girls high-fived and Kurry came back to the front.  
  
Malik: "I feel like heaven when I look in your eyes,  
I know that you are the one for me.  
You drive me crazy 'cause you're one of a kind,  
I want your lovin'  
And I want it right now."  
  
All: "Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around."  
  
All: "Ooo, baby you're so fine,  
I'm gonna make you mine,  
Your lips they taste so sweet.  
You're the one for me,  
You're my ecstasy,  
You're the one I need."  
  
Kurry swept her arms in a wide arc, shifting smoothly side-to-side, lost in the rhythm of their song. If Malik had not been singing, his jaw would've dropped. She was real fluid when she danced.  
  
Malik: "I feel like heaven when I look in your eyes,  
I know that you are the one for me.  
You drive me crazy 'cause you're one of a kind,  
I want your lovin'  
And I want it right now."  
  
This time Malik's jaw DID drop. Kurry had sunk almost to her knees, rising leisurely back to stand. Three beats later, she twisted to her left and made a beckoning motion with one hand. As the tempo sped up again, Kurry kept pace, Kitty and Kat as well keeping sync with the underbeat.  
  
All: "Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa.  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa,  
Whoa whoa whoa"  
  
All: "You're the one for me,  
You're my ecstasy,  
You're the one I need..."  
  
All: "Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
Get down, get down,  
And move it all around.  
  
Get down, get down,  
Yeah......."  
  
The music ended abruptly. Kurry, Kitty and Kat went to three different freeze-frame positions at the final pulse, leaving the boys rather breathless. (From SINGING, you hentais! XD) Everybody hooted and hollered and clapped. Mrs. Calaban was quite pleased with their performance; for the first time it had been flawless. Kitty and Kat beamed at each other and high fived ecstatically. Kurry was positively glowing.  
'Well?' she breathed, hardly able to speak. The three boys glanced at each other then grinned at her.  
'That was...well...it...' Malik started, at a loss for words. Ryou helped. 'It was bloody amazing, is what it was,' he said. 'Yeah, that's it!' the other two agreed. The girls smiled. 'Thanks. Next song!' Kurry said.  
The guys all anime fell. 'What? Don't you like, need a break or something?' Malik asked.  
'Oh no, we could dance all night if we wanted to,' Kitty shrugged. 'Once we get started, there's no backing out,' Kat added, a sly grin gracing her features. Bakura cocked an eyebrow. 'Well then, we'll just have to give ya a run for the money, eh Malik?' he said, nudging the sandy- haired teen.  
Malik shrugged. 'Alright, if you insist, but it's a long haul.' There was uncertainty in his voice.  
Kurry narrowed her eyes dangerously. 'Oy!' she barked sharply. The boys turned. Softening her tone a little she said, 'Have a little faith, will ya?' Then she turned and stalked determinedly to the center of the floor.  
Man, she had a strong will. Malik couldn't help but grin. This competition was gonna be fun. He hit the play button and grabbed his mike.  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be good, girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Kurry swayed forward on the Egyptian beat, an intensely determined look in her eyes. Malik met her gaze head on and held it.  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be wild,  
Gotta know just who to dial, baby,  
And that's me.  
If you really like it hot,  
Get someone who hits the spot, honey,  
Oh yes."  
  
Ryou: "And if you wanna get it done,  
Then you gotta get the one,  
The one who's got it goin' on."  
  
Bakura: "If you wanna make it last,  
Gotta know just who to ask,  
Baby it's gotta be the best.  
And that's me."  
  
Her determination heightened by Malik's insensitivity, Kurry danced as she had never danced before. This was her beat now. It was in her blood and in her soul. She felt free, and moved like it. And she kept throwing defiant glances at Malik, who chuckled. He wouldn't be tangling with her anytime soon.  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be good girl,  
Get yourself a All: Bad Boy.  
If you really want it good girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Malik: "Get it like it could be,  
Would be,  
Yeah like it should be All: If you want it to be good girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Malik: "If you like it innovative,  
Better get someone creative, honey,  
And if you want it to be jammin'  
Gotta get some body slammin' baby."  
  
Ryou: "And if you wanna get it done,  
Then you gotta get the one,  
The one who's got it goin' on."  
  
Bakura: "If you wanna make it last,  
Gotta know just who to ask,  
Baby it's gotta be the best.  
And that's me."  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be good girl,  
Get yourself a All: Bad Boy.  
If you really want it good girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Malik: "Get it like it could be,  
Would be,  
Yeah like it should be All: If you want it to be good girl,  
Get yourself a  
Bad Boy."  
  
Malik: "Now listen..."  
  
(Kurry tucked a strand of hair defiantly behind her ear.)  
  
All: "These are things, Malik: Your momma shouldn't know, All: These are things, Ryou: I really wanna show, All: These are things, Bakura: I wanna show you how. All: So won't you let me show you right now! Bakura: Ooo baby!"  
  
Ryou: "And if you wanna get it done,  
Then you gotta get the one,  
The one who's got it going on."  
  
Bakura: "If you wanna make it last,  
Gotta know just who to ask,  
Baby it's gotta be the best,  
And that's me my lady."  
  
Malik: "If you want it to be good, girl,  
Get yourself a All: Bad Boy Malik: That's right. All: If you really want it good girl,  
Gotta get yourself a  
Bad Boy  
If you really want it,  
If you really want it, Malik: Get it like it could be,  
Would be,  
Yeah like it should be,  
If you want it be good  
Gotta be like it should."  
  
BG: "If you really want it good,  
If you really want it good..."  
  
Malik: "I like this."  
  
BG: "If you really want it good,  
If you really want it good..."  
  
Bakura: "If you really..."  
  
BG: "If you really want it good,  
If you really want it good..."  
  
Malik: "I'm your bad boy - I'm your bad boy  
Oh yeah..."  
  
As the beat faded the three dancers turned their backs on the audience and sauntered off behind the curtain. The audience let the beat finish before erupting in cheers. The girls dashed back out to tumultuous applause, which died down as Mrs. Calaban stood. Everyone breathlessly waited for her verdict. The room went deadly silent.  
Mrs. Calaban took a deep breath. 'Well, I think we have our show.'  
The room exploded again. 'Yes!' Malik hissed in triumph. Bakura and Ryou high-fived behind him. Kurry hugged a beaming Kitty and a giddy Kat. Then as she turned Malik caught her eye. He winked cockily at her. She just rolled her eyes.  
He smiled.  
  
##########################################################################  
  
w00t! Yeah! I loved that chapter. (Good mental images. ~__^) Anywho, hope you enjoyed that and please review! (There's nothing I like better than showing guys that girls are cool too. *evil grin* Ahem. Nevermind. ^^;;)  
  
To quote Kitty: "Press the purty purple button!" ^____^ 


	6. Chapter 6

Ohayo! The long awaited 6th chapter! Sorries I haven't updated in a long time but I've been having mid-terms left and right. *sighs* Most of them are over now though so I should have a bit more time. *grins* So updates will happen and enjoy this chapter. ^___^  
  
##########################################################################  
  
By the end of the first week, they had the show laid out. Andraaia and Duke were placed in charge of schematics and background. (As a blushing Andraaia told Kurry later, Duke was very good at sound stage, managing to startle her 6 times in 5 minutes with a speaker and cracking himself up in the process.) The singer/dancer team figured out their opening, closing and middle songs, matched them to routines and set a practise schedule. Then Kurry spoke with Andraaia and they worked out a rough outline of when and where the technics would be in the show. All in all they were off to a pretty good start, although Kurry was still acting a little cold towards Malik. Other than that, all was well.  
Thursday evening found Kurry, Kitty and Kat in Kitty's dorm discussing the show and doing other work. Actually, Kurry was curled in a chair half-listening and Kitty and Kat were chatting excitedly.  
'So, talked to any of the guys at all?' Kitty asked, grinning.  
Kat blushed. 'Er, well...I kinda told Bakura I do martial arts and he offered to help me practise while I'm here,' she murmured, beet red.  
Kitty gasped. 'So he does martial arts too!?! Oh you lucky girl!'  
'KKKKKIIIIITTTTTYYYYY!!!!' Kat shrieked and whomped Kitty with a pillow. She just giggled.  
'Yeah, well, what about Ryou?' Kat shot back. 'I saw how your knees almost went when he was singing.'  
Kitty giggled again and unabashedly swooned onto the bed. 'Oh, he's got the hottest voice of any of them. Real smooth. Whoo.'  
Kat nodded absently. 'Bakura's not bad either...' she muttered.  
Kitty suddenly sat up and glanced at Kurry. Poking Kat to get her attention, the two sisters stared at their friend until they psyched her out and she jumped. 'Gods, I hate it when you guys do that.'  
Kitty and Kat grinned identical grins. Kurry sighed. 'What do you want?'  
'We wanna know what you think of the guys,' Kat stated simply.  
Kurry shrugged. 'Bakura's cool and Ryou's got a nice voice. You two just established that, I really don't think my opinion's necessary.'  
Kitty and Kat exchanged significant glances before Kat said, 'And?'  
'And what?'  
'What about Malik?'  
Kurry kept her eyes on her binder. 'I don't really have an opinion on him.'  
Kitty rolled her eyes. 'Oh c'mon Kurry, just for fun. What do you think of him?'  
Kurry shut her binder with a snap. 'I don't think anything of him and that's the end of it!' she said shortly. Rising, she stalked towards the door. 'I'm going to find a quiet place to write. I'll see you two later.'  
The door shut. The sisters looked at each other again.  
'Denial!'  
The hallway rang with laughter.  
  
************************************************  
  
Kurry tried to calm herself down as she walked.  
+I seriously don't think anything of Malik. In my opinion he's an insensitive clod. But I suppose most guys are like that. Oh well. He could have a little more faith in our abilities.+ Suddenly realising she had no idea where she was, Kurry turned in a circle. +Oh great. Now which way?+ She wandered for a few minutes before catching sight of a familiar door. +Oh, the music room. I suppose I could stay in here.+ Testing the door, she found it unlocked and slipped inside.  
+Ahhh, the sound of silence. Perfect.+  
  
************************************************  
  
Malik was just coming back from the cafeteria when he caught sight of a light filtering through the door to the music room. Knowing no-one was supposed to be in there at this time of night, he crept up to the door and eased it open. His expression went from wary to curious at what he beheld.  
Kurry was sitting on the far side of the room, furiously scribbling in her binder. The young dancer muttered to herself every few seconds, pausing now and again and frowning. Malik moved silently into the glow of the single lamp, unnoticed by the writer on the floor. Leaning casually against a pillar, the violet-eyed boy just observed, listening to the mutterings with a grin.  
'...Hmm, "the power of many"...no, I don't like that..."strength" is a better word...(scribble scribble)..."The strength of all will prevail"...naw, can't put that, it's too...communed...(Pause to think) I want something that shows individuality AND community...Aha! (more scribbling) "The strength of many is the strength of one!" Got it!'  
She promptly jumped almost out of her skin when Malik spoke. 'That was cool.'  
'GAH! How long were you there?!' Kurry nearly shrieked in fright.  
Malik held up both hands in a peaceful gesture. 'Not long. Be easy, alright?'  
Kurry took a deep breath, trying to calm the adrenaline of fright. Malik came a little closer and perched on a large crate. There was silence for a moment, then Malik cleared his throat and murmured, 'I uh...I'm sorry.'  
Kurry glanced up. 'What for?'  
'For being an insensitive clod.'  
Kurry giggled, quickly muffling it. 'Hee...ahem. Well, yes, you were, but apology accepted. And I'm sorry I was so...'  
'Distant?'  
'If you will.'  
'Okay.'  
Malik perked up visibly, relieved to have broken the ice. Kurry's head bent back to her work. Malik craned his neck, curious. 'Whatcha working on?'  
Kurry glanced up. 'Hmm? Oh this? It's a composition for writing class. It's supposed to be about the ways we can merge individuality and community so that everyone's personal preferences are met.'  
Malik's eyebrows went up. 'Whoa. Deep.'  
Kurry chuckled. 'Not really. Since I'm a natural writer I tend to make things fancier than they need to be.'  
Malik cocked his head to one side. 'What else d'you take in your school?'  
'Just violin, writing and dance. I love music and I found out long ago that I could write okay, so I followed those lines. But my real passion has always been dance.' Kurry's eyes were glazed over, remembering, until she blinked and added, 'Sorry, I'm rambling. What do you do?'  
Malik shrugged. 'Eh, I haven't really found anything to be really into; I'm an all-around type of guy, that's all. I can play a little bit of guitar and drums...' he paused to think, then his eyes lit up. 'And I do like mechanics. I have my own bike. And I sing. That's about it.'  
Kurry nodded. 'Well that's alright.'  
Malik blinked suddenly. 'You wear glasses?'  
Kurry nodded again. Malik stood and came over. 'Can I see?' Kurry obligingly removed the blue frames and handed them over. Malik held them up, examining them in the light. He peered through them and swiftly pulled back. 'Whoa.' Kurry took them back.  
'Yeah, I'm a little nearsighted. I'll show you. Back up a bit.' Malik complied.  
'Little more. Okay, stop.'  
Kurry squinted at him. 'There. Now you're fuzzy.'  
Malik coughed suddenly. Realising what she said, Kurry turned pink. 'Oh no, I meant, uh, blurry. Yeah, that's what I meant.' She quickly looked back down at her binder to hide the flush that spread over her face. Malik just half-smiled.  
Kurry's eyelids suddenly felt quite heavy. She stifled a yawn, but Malik caught it.  
'C'mon,' he said kindly. 'You're tired. I'll walk you back to your dorm.' And he offered his hand to her.  
Kurry glanced at it, then at the violet eyes beyond. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet. Shutting off the lamp, Malik led Kurry out of the music room, both a lot more comfortable than they had been before.  
  
The next morning dawned a lot brighter, or so it appeared to Kurry. She stretched and sighed leisurely, relishing the feeling of a new day and a new friendship with Malik. Smiling, she rose from bed and began to prepare.  
Kurry had just finished getting dressed when there came a knock at the door. 'Coming!' she called, still brushing her long hair. When she opened the door Kurry was surprised to see Malik himself standing there looking rather nervous and trying to hide it.  
'Good morning,' Kurry said politely.  
'Hi. Er, I...that is, we...were wondering if you three dancers wanted to come with us for breakfast. Our treat.'  
Kurry flushed a little. 'Oh, uh, okay, just lemme finish getting ready. C'mon in if you want.' She left the door open and took up her brush again.  
Malik hesitantly stood in the doorway. 'Um...are you comfortable in here?' he asked, casually trying to make conversation.  
'Oh yeah, it's quite nice in here. I like the view. That tree is immense.'  
'It's been here since the school was built.'  
'Cool.'  
Ready at last, Kurry grabbed her purse and locked the dorm behind her.  
Meanwhile next door, Ryou and Bakura had been asking Kitty and Kat, although they had to haul Kitty out of bed again. Finally they were on their way.  
It was a brisk morning, the sun bright and the air crisp and clear. Kurry inhaled deeply. 'Ahhh, fresh air.'  
Malik chuckled. 'Yeah, you gotta love it.' When Kurry just smiled instead of replying at his smart remark the others noticed the sudden lack of animosity between the two and grinned.  
They arrived at a small coffee shop a few blocks away. Since they had quite a bit of time before they were due back each ordered a nice breakfast and chose one of those big round booths to sit in. "Somehow" managing to sit boy-girl, a light chatter started up as they ate.  
'So we're starting the practise schedule today, right?' Bakura asked.  
The rest nodded. 'Yep, and it's gonna be really fun!' Kitty said excitedly.  
Bakura cocked an eyebrow. 'You sound happy,' he grinned.  
'Oh I am. I've gotta be or else I'll get all nervous,' Kitty confessed.  
'Heh, join the crowd,' Malik admitted. Everyone nodded.  
'You know, they say there's going to be at least 600 people there. Tickets have been selling for the past month,' Ryou piped up.  
Kat went positively green. 'Oh, please don't tell me that!' she moaned.  
'Yeah, Ryou, it's not helping!' Bakura hissed.  
'Sorry.'  
There was silence for a minute, broken by a loud slurp from Kurry. She jumped. 'Whoops. Sorry. ^^;' The others chuckled and that broke the tension.  
Bakura motioned at Kurry. 'So what do you do besides dance?' he asked.  
Before Kurry could answer, Malik piped up without thinking. 'She plays violin and writes stuff.'  
Everybody's eyebrows went up, including Kurry's. Bakura and Ryou looked like a million dollars had just been dumped in their laps. 'Oh reeeally?' Bakura smirked, nudging Malik. Realising that his so-called "friends" were now going to tease the heck out of him, Malik put his head down and let out an exasperated sigh. A look of recognition dawned on Kurry's face and she tried to explain. 'We just talked, okay? To tell the truth I got lost last night and ended up back in the music room and then Malik came by and...' he voice trailed off helplessly.  
'It's not getting any better, hun,' Kitty teased, grinning.  
Kurry gasped. 'Aw, you're as bad as he is and you know it, Kitty Tashimono!' she reprimanded, pointing at Bakura.  
'Oh yeah!' Kitty reached across the table and high-fived a smug Bakura. Malik felt like hiding under the table. +Some friends+ he thought, but it was all in good fun.  
Ryou suddenly turned to Kitty. 'Tashimono, is that your last name? It's quite elegant.'  
Kitty almost spit out her coffee. Swallowing, she managed to choke out, 'Wha? You've gotta be kidding me,' while turning bright red. Ryou just smiled.  
Bakura leaned forward a bit. 'Oh by the way, we've been meaning to ask...are you two sisters?'  
Kat nodded. 'Yeah.'  
Kurry giggled. 'Uh huh, and they're both crazy.'  
'^___^ That's us!' the sisters chorused, giving twin grins.  
The banter continued through the rest of the meal. The girls suddenly felt a lot more comfortable with the singers but were still a bit uncertain about the dance.  
When they arrived back at school the group had to go directly to the practise room. (Time flies when you're having fun. =D) However, when they got there the only occupant was Mrs. Calaban.  
'Where's everyone else?' Kurry asked in confusion.  
Mrs. Calaban stood up and faced the group. She handed out six key rings, each with a single key on it. 'This is your practise room for the next two weeks. As of that time you will practise your part alone, then you will merge with the rest. The technicians are working in the lab. We trust you with the keys so you can practise whenever. Have fun.' And with that she exited the room.  
She left a group of very self-conscious teens staring after her in shock. They were supposed to practise? In here? Alone? Malik and Kitty looked absolutely incredulous, Kat had gone quite pink in the face, Ryou let out a slow breath and Bakura whistled lightly. Only Kurry seemed unfazed. She was in fact glad; she hadn't wanted to practise in front of the ENTIRE bunch. Taking a deep breath, she said, 'Well, let's get started. May I have the disk?'  
Still dazed, Malik pulled the case out of his pocket and handed it to Kurry. She went over to the stereo and popped it in. 'Shall we have a warm- up song?  
'Sure,' answered Bakura in a business-like tone. 'Number 2.'  
'Gotcha.'  
They shook themselves out of their reveries. The dancers stretched for a short minute before going to formation. The singers found working mikes and connected them to speakers via sensor.  
'Wow, their equipment is so modern,' Kitty whispered to Kurry. 'They have sensor sound systems and did you see the stereo?'  
Kurry nodded. 'We'll have them too if we win this competition.'  
Ryou came up to the girls. 'Our warm-ups are a little slower. If you want we can run through the quick songs once for you to warm up.' They shook their heads.  
'Nah, we'll be alright. Go ahead.'  
The room was quite large, with a teacher's desk in one corner, risers on one wall and the sound system on the opposite wall. The rest of the floor was empty; a perfect dancing place. Kurry surveyed the space they had and chose a spot to start from. Kitty and Kat flanked her, leaving plenty of space between them.  
'Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the best,' Malik joked.  
'Let's dance,' Bakura smirked and hit play.  
  
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,  
But when we are apart, I feel it too,  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,  
With or without you."  
  
The dancers paused, getting a feel for the rhythm, then Kurry held up three fingers for the routine and on a downbeat they began to move.  
  
Malik: "Baby I don't understand,  
Just why we can't be lovers,  
Things are getting out of hand,  
Try too much but baby we can win."  
  
"Let it go,  
If you want me girl, let me know,  
I am down, on my knees,  
I can't take it anymore."  
  
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,  
But when we are apart I feel it too,  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,  
With or without you."  
  
The boys wove into the triangle, not interfering with the dance but circling slowly around each girl in a pattern, the lead singer for each verse coming forward on their cue.  
  
Bakura: "Baby don't misunderstand"  
  
(Background: "Don't misunderstand...")  
  
Bakura: "What I'm trying to tell ya,  
In the corner of my mind,  
Baby it feels like we're running out of time."  
  
"Let it go,  
If you want me girl, let me know,  
I am down, on my knees,  
I can't take it anymore."  
  
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,  
And when we are apart I feel it too,  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,  
With or without you."  
  
The girls' movements became slow and precise as the bridge came.  
  
All: "Tearin' up my heart and soul,  
We're apart, I feel it too,  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,  
With or without you..."  
  
Tearin' up my heart and soul,  
We're apart, I feel it too,  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,  
With or without you."  
  
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you, BG: Tearin' up my heart and soul, All: And when we are apart I feel it too, BG: We're apart, I feel it too, All: And no matter what I do I feel the pain,  
With or without you."  
  
All: "And no matter what I do I feel the pain,  
With or without you."  
  
The whole group ended in freeze frame, facing the risers. Malik grinned kinda crazily. 'That wasn't so bad.'  
Bakura suddenly looked a lot more confident. 'Of course it wasn't bad. Y'all are really great dancers, you know?'  
'Thank you!' the girls answered in unison. 'You're not so bad yourself,' Kat added shyly. Bakura almost blushed, but not quite. He chuckled to hide it and went to change the song.  
'Nine!'  
'Okay.'  
The teens got into formation. They were to start in a dual triangle shape and then they would merge to form one triangle with two people at each point, spread wide enough that the whole group was visible by the audience. The boys were in the front and the girls in the back; Malik was to shift to one side just after the opener to effectively "present" the girls to the audience. They ran through it a couple of times before breaking and then they worked on the ending song. (The girls desperately tried to focus on the dance but it didn't quite work; Kat busted up giggling insanely and had to have a drink of water before she could continue.) All in all it was a good workout and they were becoming more familiar with the sequence - and each other.  
Somewhere in the mess of banter and practise Kat mentioned that they'd never been to a dance club before. Ryou and Bakura looked mockingly shocked and Malik beamed.  
'Well, we're just gonna have to visit one before the end of this,' he said matter-of-factly, but he caught Kurry's eye as he said it and she glanced away, suddenly nervous. Hurriedly returning to her place on the dance floor, Kurry didn't notice the pair of violet eyes studying her intently as she danced.  
  
When Kurry arrived back at her dorm after practise, Andraaia was already there, quietly meditating on her bed. Kurry joined her a moment later, both calming their minds and tuning out the world. When they were both in a trance, Kurry broke the silence with an almost inaudible voice.  
'So where did you disappear to this morning?'  
A giddy grin spread slowly over Andraaia's face. 'I went exploring.'  
'And?'  
'And I found Duke.'  
'Uh huh. And?'  
'We just went to a little café and he showed me around.'  
'That's nice.'  
'Mmm hmm. What about you?'  
'We practised the routines.'  
'Uh huh. How'd that go?'  
'Well enough.'  
'Good.'  
'Are we calm yet?'  
'I think so.'  
'Okay.'  
Both girls opened their eyes. Inhaling deeply, Andraaia stretched. 'Hmmm, that was a nice mediterm.'  
Kurry yawned. 'Mmm hmm. Say, is Duke a nice guy?'  
'Yeah. Where did that come from?'  
'You always did better with guys than I did.'  
Andraaia smiled sympathetically. 'You'll get there eventually mate.'  
'I suppose.'  
Andraaia headed for the attached bathroom to shower while Kurry paused to think. Why when she said that, did she suddenly think of violet eyes?  
  
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*GRIN* I loved that chapter. But the next one, I'm afraid, is gonna be awhile because I'm only halfway through it. BUT I'm all caught up on typing so it shouldn't take too long. No promises though. *winces*  
  
Hope you enjoyed that and please review. Thanks! ^___^  
  
P.S: Thanks to all those who reviewed and a special shout-out to Kaligirl. *winks* 


	7. Chapter 7

{gasps} I'M HEEEEERRRRREEEE! {gasps again} And with a new chapter! Feel free to have heart attacks! Lol. XD Just kidding. I know it was a really long time, but GUESS WHAT?! =D I got ALL my inspiration back for this fic, so now I know how to write it to the end and updates will happen much more often then three months apart. {winces}  
  
Anywho, thank you all SO MUCH for the kind reviews and for not giving up on me. I feel so honoured! {bows} Thanks to Kitty for not giving up on me and kudos to Xantcha and Hilary for bugging me about it every waking minute. (You too Andy. XD)  
  
Again, so sorry for the long wait and I really really hope you guys will still read and review, because even though I don't deserve it, it IS much appreciated. Enjoy! =D  
  
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Saturday morning, the girls actually managed to get Kitty out of bed by nine and decided to browse the nearby mall for the morning. Upon arrival, three jaws dropped. This mall was immense! All three grinned gleefully and began to wander.  
About halfway through the morning, the girls were poking around a department store when suddenly Kat stopped short. Unawares, the other two walked into her. 'Oomph!'  
'Xx What the.........? Kat, why'd you stop?' Kitty asked.  
'I just had a thought. Are we supposed to have costumes for this thing?' Kat mused.  
'Costumes?' Kitty was confused.  
'Not costumes, exactly. I mean like matching outfits. We should at least have a colour scheme.'  
Kurry furrowed her brow, glancing around at the department they were currently in. Then she suggested, 'We'd have to talk to the guys anyway, but let's look around and get some ideas.'  
They promptly wove their way deep into the racks of clothing, calling out ideas to each other as they found them. Kitty soon got bored; shopping had never been her thing. Suddenly a mischievous grin spread over her face and she ducked low. Creeping in amongst the clothes, she waited for Kurry to rifle through the hangers before yelling 'BOO!' Kurry shrieked and fell back, seeing this face pop out at her from the shirts. Kitty cracked up. 'Y- you should've seen your f- face!' she chortled.  
'Kitty!' Kurry gasped, startled. Kitty waved. ' Buhbye!' she teased and darted away. Giggling, Kurry gave chase. They dashed past Kat, who blinked, ('Hey!') and joined in. Weaving through the racks of clothing and giggling madly, the friends flew past an elderly salesperson, who just shook her head and smiled.  
Later, as the friends walked back to the school, they talked about the ideas and worked out a plan for their outfits. Kat swooned suddenly when she thought of Bakura in his outfit and had to sit down on a bench. As such, they ended up getting back at one o'clock.  
The girls had just put away their purchases when Kat turned to the other two and suggested, 'Let's go see what the guys are doing.'  
Kurry looked hesitant. 'Uh, Kat, they're probably off doing their own thing. They might not even be in the school.'  
Kat shrugged. 'Okay, so we'll walk around and if we see them we'll say hi. It can't HURT.'  
The other girls finally agreed and they started off, chatting gaily. After touring around the immense campus, they found themselves in the same hallway as their practise room. Kurry stopped short all of a sudden and the other girls froze. Cocking her head to one side, Kurry grinned slyly and said, 'I think we've found the guys.'  
Sure enough, the unmistakable "thump, thump" of a beat was issuing from the practise room.  
The girls crept up to the double doors and eased one open a crack. Peeking through, they saw the guys go to freeze frame as the beat cut out. Apparently they'd just finished a song. Their formation broke as Bakura went to change the music. Ryou muttered something under his breath and Malik cracked up. (Kitty, whispering, 'KAWAII!') Ryou chuckled and shooed Malik off the floor. The sandy-haired teen went to perch comfortably on the risers while the other two prepared for the next tune. Getting an idea, Kurry suddenly pulled back from the thin crack and propelled them all through the door.  
The boys looked over, mildly interested, as the girls slid into the room. Easing the door shut behind her, Kurry tapped her friends on the shoulder and gestured towards the risers. Malik motioned her over as she went to sit down. Kat moved to follow, but seeing Ryou indicate them to come near Kitty caught her sister by the sleeve and tugged her with her toward the white-haired guys.  
Ryou watched Kitty pull her sister forward with an odd half-smile on his face. Bakura leaned down and muttered in his friend's ear, 'You gonna be able to sing with them here?'  
Ryou cocked an eyebrow and answered quietly, 'Just watch and learn.' Then as the next beat began he cleared his throat, squared his shoulders and began to sing.  
  
"Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine,  
I'm leaving my life in your hands.  
People say I'm crazy and that I am blind,  
Risking it all in a glance.  
  
How you got me blind is still a mystery,  
I can't get you out of my head.  
Don't care what is written in your history,  
As long as you're here with me."  
  
Ryou slowly circled the two sisters, who tried desperately not to blush and failed. Casually sauntering around Kitty, he sent her a suave grin and paused behind Kat. Raising his eyebrows at Bakura as if to say 'Well?' he continued into the chorus.  
  
"I don't care who you are  
Where you're from,  
What you did,  
As long as you love me.  
Who you are,  
Where you're from  
Don't care what you did,  
As long as you love me."  
  
Bakura looked mildly indignant for a sec, then he gathered his courage and started on his verse. Shooing Ryou away he moved to stand beside Kat, glaring a little at the other albino. Ryou grinned teasingly and guided Kitty toward a big crate. She swung up and dangled her feet off the side. Ryou leaned on one elbow on a shorter crate and Bakura and Kat stood next to them.  
  
"Every little thing that you have said and done,  
Feels like its deep within me.  
Doesn't really matter if you're on the run  
It seems like we're meant to be."  
  
Over on the bleachers, Kurry leaned over to Malik and whispered, 'Why aren't you singing?'  
Malik whispered back. 'They alternate leads for slow songs and I sing lead for fast songs.'  
'Ah.'  
  
"I don't care who you are  
Where you're from  
What you did,  
As long as you love me.  
Who you are,  
Where you're from  
Don't care what you did,  
As long as you love me.  
  
I've tried to hide it so that no-one knows,  
But I guess it shows,  
When you look into my eyes,  
What you did and where you're coming from  
I don't care  
As long as you love me baby."  
  
Kat was tapping her foot to the beat and really getting caught up in it when she sensed Bakura watching her. Their eyes locked and he sent her an almost shy half-smile. Kat flushed and suddenly found her feet very interesting. Ra, he was cool. Whew.  
  
"I don't care who you are  
Where you're from  
What you did,  
As long as you love me  
Who you are,  
Where you're from  
Don't care what you did,  
As long as you love me."  
  
Watching the foursome from across the room, Kurry smiled with that 'Awww!' kind of look. Malik smirked at the sudden change in his two best friends. Kurry stretched a bit, muttering, 'How kawaii.' Then she turned to the violet-eyed guy next to her. 'Yo, while we're here, we might as well practise.'  
Malik nodded thoughtfully. 'Yeah, I suppose. C'mon.'  
Kurry followed him over to a big file cabinet. Malik whipped out a set of keys and unlocked the biggest drawer. Easing it out, he began to search through row upon row of CD's. 'I know I left it in here somewhere.........'  
'That's a lotta CD's,' Kurry said absently, setting up the speaker system.  
'Uh huh. This is only half of it.'  
Finished, Kurry turned to the others, hollering, 'Oy! We're gonna practise!'  
'Okay!' came the response. 'Go right ahead!'  
'Wait.........what? How am I supposed to.........?' Kurry was cut off as Malik tugged on her elbow.  
'Watch this,' he murmured, chuckling. Then he turned and called out, 'Hey lovebirds! Quit flirting and come practise!' This earned him twin death glares from the albinos. Kurry snorted with laughter at her blushing friends, who also glared at her.  
They got into formation, the guys silently ribbing each other still. The girls had to work hard to stifle giggles at their hilarious antics.  
After two hours of practise, they called it a day. Laughing and joking between them, the six teens cleaned up the music room and locked the door. They had walked out to the courtyard together when Malik glanced at his watch and suddenly jumped. 'Oh crapola! We've got exactly five minutes to get to that meeting Mr. Topoli called!'  
Ryou smacked his forehead. 'Damn! I forgot! Sorry girls, but we're gonna have to go.'  
'No problem. See you tomorrow for practise?' Kitty asked.  
'You can count on it!' he answered, saluting smartly and dashing after Malik, who was running backwards and waving. Kat felt something thrust into her hand as Bakura brushed past her and instinctively she clenched her fist. It was a piece of paper. Kat looked up at Bakura, bewildered. He sent her a significant glance before jogging off after the other two. Seeing as how the other girls had gone ahead a little Kat deftly unfolded the paper and read:  
  
Meet me in the gym after supper. I'll help you train.  
  
B.  
  
Kat gasped and in her excitement crunched the paper. 'Oops. ;' Smoothing it out, she reread it and giggled giddily. [Yippee! =D] Then she dashed off after her friends.

Later that evening after a complementary supper in the Hall, Kat whispered her plan to Kurry and Kitty, who promptly said, 'GO!' and shoved her out the door. Rolling her eyes at her over-enthusiastic friends, Kat set off for the gym.  
All was dark when she arrived. Wondering if this was the right place, Kat peered into the gloom, cupping her hands around her face against the window. Suddenly a tall figure was there beside her and she nearly shrieked in fright. A hand was placed over her mouth and a familiar voice hissed, 'Shhh! It's me! D'you want to bring the entire security team down on us?!'  
Kat blinked and relaxed as she recognised Bakura. 'Sheesh! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?' she whispered furiously. He chuckled. 'I'm sorry. I couldn't resist, but I forgot girls tend to shriek when they're frightened.'  
Kat's vivid green eyes flashed angrily. 'Well I'll have you know, you were bloody close to getting a roundhouse kick to you-know-where! And if you think I'm easily scared off, you've got another thing coming!'  
Bakura's eyes softened. She was somehow more stunning when she was annoyed. Bowing slightly, he said sincerely, 'I'm sorry. Please forgive me so we can practise.' Kat nodded acquiescingly and said, 'Okay.'  
Flashing his card past the I.D. sensor pad, Bakura unlocked the gym and the two slipped inside. Flicking on lights, he moved towards the back of the room. Kat paused to take a gander about the place. It was quite large; the space nearest the door was taken up mostly by body building equipment and weights. There was a side room with a sign that said 'Rentals' and the back was taken up entirely by mats, with huge mirrors along one wall. It was towards these that Bakura moved, motioning for Kat to follow.  
'The front's mostly for body building,' he intoned, stating the obvious. 'Back here's where we learn the true art of fighting.'  
Kat was already wearing her gi. Placing her shoes next to the mat, she turned to stretch.........and promptly choked when she saw Bakura. He'd removed both shoes AND shirt and was going through a short warm up. He was.........quite nicely built, she noticed, feeling a blush spread over her like wildfire. Seeing how she was staring, Bakura chuckled and said cryptically, 'The less hindrance I have, the better I fight. If you're flustered I can put my shirt back on.'  
Now scarlet, Kat managed to regain her power of speech. 'You fight your way and I'll fight mine.'  
Bakura smirked, eyes still closed in meditation. 'Very well.'  
Kat did a few stretches to warm up, then went into a fighting stance. Squatting leisurely, Bakura said casually, 'You ever fight a guy before?'  
'No,' Kat admitted.  
'Are you nervous?' he teased.  
'I can hold my own!' she shot back.  
Bakura chuckled inwardly. He admired her spunk. She'd make a fair match for him, fightwise of course. He crouched into his own fighting position and Kat had to admit he made a formidable sight.  
'I'll go easy on you for now,' Bakura quipped.  
'Bring it on,' Kat goaded him.  
He darted towards her and man, was he ever fast! Somehow she managed to dodge him, surprising herself. His eyebrows went up, impressed.  
'You're faster than I thought you were,' Bakura complimented her. Kat raised a puzzled eyebrow. 'I'm faster than I thought I was too, apparently. My reaction time must be getting better.' He nodded and launched himself at her again.  
They danced around each other for a minute before finally making body contact. He hit her square with his shoulder and neatly rolled her until she was pinned. 'Not bad for a first timer,' he joked, rewarded with a knee in the side. Rolling again, Kat pinned him on his front, smooshing his face into the mat a little. 'I've been doing this since I was five,' she mock- growled, grappling with him when he escaped and tried to roll her again.  
'Awww, how cute!' he teased her, earning a devious tap to the groin that made him catch his breath.  
'DON'T underestimate me,' she growled, glaring at him through slitted eyes.  
They were at a standstill, a pause to catch breath. She'd backed off a bit, giving him full view of the fiery tempest she was. Her hair was askew, eyes blazing with adrenaline and panting with exertion. She really was quite stunning.  
'Don't worry, I won't.'

The next morning, Kitty stood before the window, wringing out her hair after her shower. Quietly getting dressed, she glanced fondly at her still-sleeping sister. Kat had come back late last night looking bushed, and had promptly collapsed. Hey, at least I woke up ahead of her for once, Kitty thought, grinning.  
Just then there came a timid knock at the door. Kitty hastened to open it for fear of waking Kat, and was surprised to see Ryou standing there.  
'How good are you at football?' he asked breathlessly, holding up a worn ball. Rather taken aback, Kitty said, 'Not very.' Ryou looked relieved. 'Me neither.' Both chuckled nervously, then Ryou added, 'Wanna play anyway?' Kitty almost giggled at the nervous look on his face, but she grabbed the key and slipped out of the dorm.  
Down on the football pitch Ryou seemed more relaxed. 'That's your end- zone and this is mine,' he stated, pointing them out for her benefit. 'If you touch the ball down, that's a touchdown and then you get to kick it.........'  
Kitty was grinning; he was cute when he was flustered. 'Why don't we just play catch?' she suggested casually.  
Ryou almost seemed to freeze, a helpless look on his face, then he relaxed and grinned nonchalantly. 'Er.........yeah, sure, whatever you wanna do.'  
'Kay.' Kitty promptly snatched the ball and took off, giggling madly.  
'Hey!' Ryou gave chase.  
They were out there for a good hour, tossing back and forth, and chasing each other. Finally becoming quite breathless, Kitty stopped running. Unbeknownst to her, Ryou was right behind. He skidded into her and the two of them rolled to a halt, Ryou barely an inch from Kitty's face.  
Instantly they both froze. Normally Ryou would have been up faster than lightning but something was holding him back. Kitty was staring openly. He had the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes she'd ever seen.  
Suddenly those eyes looked terrified and he leaped up. 'I'm sorry!' he almost yelled, now scarlet. 'Are.........are you okay?!'  
Kitty sat up, a little dazed. 'Er.........yeah, I'm fine. You.........you wanna keep practising or call it a day?'  
Ryou checked his watch. 'Actually, we're having a practise later this afternoon so I should go.........um, prepare. So, I'll see you there?'  
'Sure.'  
'Okay, so.........um.........uh.........er, bye!' He pointed in random directions before breaking completely and taking off at a dead run. In doing so he completely missed the huge grin that spread over Kitty's face.  
[He was this close to me! =D]

'I was this close to her! I swear, she's gonna hate me now!' Ryou moaned, collapsing into a chair.  
'You think you've got it bad?! At least you can get near her, I can't go anywhere near Kat! Ra, if she looks at me with those gorgeous green eyes one more time I'm going to melt on the spot! And I'm NOT the melting type!' Bakura groused, flopped on the couch.  
'That's it, we're done for. The minute we started falling for those two our fates were sealed. Not that I mind so much.........Kitty's damn fine, if ya know what I mean.........' Ryou trailed off absently.  
'I know, I know, and the worst part is they're not gonna be here for that long,' Bakura groaned, running a hand through his already unruly hair.  
Both albinos sighed heavily. Each was completely at a loss at to what to do. On the one hand, for all his bad-ass attitude Ryou was really quite shy and on the other, Bakura was sure the emerald-eyed beauty hated him. It was hopeless.  
Just then Malik popped in, whistling jovially as he chucked his keys on the counter. He stopped short, however, at the gloomy expressions on his friend's faces.  
'Well, aren't you two enthusiastic?' he chortled, leaning casually on the doorframe.  
'Oh shuttup Malik!' Bakura groaned, chucking a pillow at him.  
'We've got a major dilemma on our hands, mate,' Ryou confessed.  
'Oh? What's that then?' Malik came forward to perch on a chair.  
'I'm falling for Kitty and Bakura's falling for Kat. Hard and fast.' Ryou winced.  
Malik was confused. 'So.........isn't that a good thing?'  
'No! No, it's not! I mean, yes, it's nice NOW. But it'll only last for, what, a fortnight?! Then what?' Ryou burst out.  
'Not to mention Kat thinks I'm a berk,' muttered Bakura forlornly.  
'She doesn't think you're a berk, mate, now buck up,' Ryou consoled him, trying to lend support to the distraught teen. 'It's never as bad as it looks, but it IS a dilemma, alright?' He let his head drop into his hands, rubbing his face tiredly. 'I'm not sorry I've fallen for her though. Kitty's smart, beautiful, artistic, talented, musical.........I could go on!' He sighed. 'She's perfect and I don't deserve her, but I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least TRY to tell her how I felt.'  
Bakura put his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with a half smile on his face. 'Oh, you should've seen Kat at the dojo last night. She was awesome, a real fighter. She was even a match for me, as it happens. Gods, I'd love to match wits with her again.'  
Malik sniggered. 'Are you sure that's all you'd want to do?' he asked slyly, earning another pillow to the head. 'Hentai!'  
The boys chuckled, then Ryou stretched. 'Well, we've got rehearsal, gentlemen. If we bite the dust, we'll do it together.'  
Malik rolled his eyes. 'You're so dramatic, Ryou.' Then his eyes lit up. 'Hey, I know! We can invite the girls to that dance club we always go to! They can dance their hearts out and we'll be showing them a good time! Whadda ya say?'  
Ryou shrugged. 'It's worth a shot.'  
Bakura sighed and hauled himself off the couch. 'I suppose.'  
'Okay then, it's done! We'll ask them out at practise, okay?'  
'Right, let's do it!'  
  
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END! =D Okay, couple more notes. A fortnight, for those of you who don't know, is fourteen days, which of course is about the two weeks that the girls are remaining at the guys' school. Just to clarify that for y'all. Also, a reminder that I do not own any of the songs, YuGiOh, or Andy, Xantcha, Kitty or Kat. They all own themselves. I only own the plot and my name, and the names of the teachers. (Which suck anyway. --;) Other than that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, sorry for the long wait, I PROMISE it won't be that long next time and please review. Thanks.  
  
(P.S: My posting date is the fourteenth of each month, so I'm hoping to get back to that. Keep your eyes open, okay peoples? Thanks again.)


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

WHAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I'm BAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKK! And I know it took all freakin' summer to get an update, but here it FINALLY is. And I am wired because I've had sugar and been typing like a maniac. =D 

I still don't own anybody or anything that I didn't own before. XD Trust me, I would notify everyone if I did. XD So please read, review and ENJOY! =D

(You can tell I'm excited about this, ne? =D)

* * *

When the boys arrived at the music room they were surprised to find it already open. Malik, entering first, waved to Kurry who began walking over to him, but all of a sudden...

'OHAYO! =D'

Malik almost fell backwards as a dark, smiling face popped into his line of vision. 'GAH!' he shouted, startled. The black mass, which appeared to be a giggling teenage girl, bounced off to leap in front of Ryou, who was so surprised he fell back over the riser and ended up sitting down.

'What WAS that?!' Malik asked, heart rate beginning to return to normal. Kurry was laughing. 'That was Xantcha. Sorry, she's had sugar. She and Andy had their meeting cancelled, so they came here.'

'Andy?'

Malik looked past Kurry to where Duke and a girl he didn't know were hooked up to electric guitars and were strumming.

O.o? must have been Malik's expression because Kurry laughed lightly and said, 'They're part of the stage crew and also my friends. Come meet them.' She took him by the arm and led him over to the group.

'Andy, this is Malik Ishtar. Malik, Andraaia Taka-Ichi,' Kurry introduced him. The dark-eyed girl nodded sagely at him before turning back to Duke.

'And that bouncing fuzzball is Xantcha Mirri Ojanen. She's completely insane, just so you know, and also totally cool. Her specialty is lighting, while Andy's is pyrotechnics,' grinned Kurry, motioning at the other girl, who was now hovering around Bakura. (Much to Kat's displeasure. XD)

Duke hit a particularly loud note on his electric guitar, startling all the teens into laughter. They gathered around the two guitarists, interested.

'How long have you been playing, Duke?' Kitty asked.

Duke shrugged. 'Couple years. I got interested from all the rock bands I listened to with my dad.' He grinned and turned to Andraaia. 'Hey Andy, can you sing?'

Andraaia blushed. 'Uh, um, kinda...'

Xantcha popped up suddenly next to Duke. 'She learned to sing when she was six!' she said helpfully. Then in a flash she was beside a startled and embarrassed Andraaia. 'And she's been practising ever since! =D It's her hobby!' Xantcha grinned and took off again as Andy made a grab for her. 'Xantcha!!'

Duke chuckled. 'Hey, sing something for us!' he prompted, turning Andy scarlet.

'Oh no, please, I...I don't want to sing in front of all of ya!' Andy pleaded.

Kurry glanced at Malik, eyebrows raised, then poked Andy. 'Hey, if we have to dance in front of 600 people you have to sing in front of us!'

'No, I....'

Immediately everyone surrounded her, clamouring to hear her voice. Finally Andy relented and everyone settled down to listen.

Poor Andy looked really nervous. Duke strummed an encouraging note on his guitar and nodded. Andy took a deep breath and began to sing.

"Look into my eyes - you will see

What you mean to me

Search your heart - search your soul

And when you find me there you'll search no more

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for

You know it's true

Everything I do - I do it for you

Look into my heart - you will find

There's nothin' there to hide

Take me as I am - take my life

I would give it all, I would sacrifice

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for

I can't help it there's nothin' I want more

Ya know it's true

Everything I do - I do it for you

There's no love - like your love

And no other - could give more love

There's nowhere - unless you're there

All the time - all the way

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

I can't help it there's nothin' I want more

I would fight for you - I'd lie for you

Walk the wire for you - Ya I'd die for you

Ya know it's true

Everything I do - I do it for you"

As the song came to an end everyone burst into applause. Duke let out a sharp wolf whistle, making Andy blush beet red. 'Oh stoppit, it wasn't THAT good!' she cried out, smiling.

'Yes it was!' Kurry gasped. 'How can you say that? You have a beautiful voice! If this were a singing contest I swear you'd win.'

Desperate to turn attention from herself Andy pointed at Kurry and said, 'Well, if I sang then you have to dance.'

Kurry took a step back and raised her hands. 'Oh no you don't. Nobody sees the routines until it's time!'

'Aw c'mon mate, one little preview? Please?' Andy and Duke coaxed, with Xantcha nodding excitedly behind them.

Kurry glanced at her friends for help, but they just looked at her expectantly.

'Well?' Malik asked, waiting.

Kurry paused, then threw up her hands and said, 'Okay, okay!' and everybody jumped up. 'YEAH!'

Andy and Duke ran to set up the speakers. Xantcha found a bin full of microphones and grabbed three. Ryou popped the disk into the stereo and set the volume. The dancers stretched a little and then gathered with the singers.

'We haven't been practicing our opening a whole lot, why don't we do that one?' Kurry suggested.

'Okay, but we might mess it up,' Kitty said worriedly.

Kurry shook her head. 'Naw, with them here, we can't mess it up,' she reassured her, motioning at the stage crew. 'Okay?'

Kitty still looked unsure. Kurry took her gently by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. 'Kitty, you're not alone in this. We'll all have to be up there, on stage, dancing in front of at least 600 people. If we can't dance in front of our friends, we'll never make it to the competition. Why not give 'em our best, eh?' There was a determined look behind Kurry's eyes.

Kitty smiled and nodded. 'Yeah!'

'Let's go.'

Moving to formation, Kurry nodded at Duke, who hit play.

All: 'Everybody groove to the music,

Everybody jam,

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.........'

Malik: 'We've been waiting so long,

Just can't hold it back no more,

Creeping up and down now,

It's time for me to let it go.

Bakura: 'If you really wanna see,

What we can do for you,

Send me crazy, want no static

Sing yeah!

All: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........

Jam on 'cause we've all got it,

Come on now everybody,

We've got it going on for years.

Jam on 'cause we've all got it,

Come on now everybody,

We've got it going on for years.

Kurry and her friends gave their all and the routine came out to perfection. They started in the triangle formation, running the routine as smooth as silk. Andy's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline, Duke let out a low whistle and Xantcha was clapping along to the beat, all three impressed by the efforts their friends were putting out.

Bakura: If you really wanna see,

What we can do for you,

Send me crazy, want no static

Sing yeah!

All: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........

Jam on 'cause we've all got it,

Come on now everybody,

We've got it going on for years.

Jam on 'cause we've all got it,

Come on now everybody,

We've got it going on for years.

We've got it going on!

We've got it going on for years.

Malik: 'We've been waiting so long,

Just can't hold it back no more,

Creeping up and down now,

It's time for me to let it go.........

Time for me to let it go!

Bakura: Sing out, sing yeah!

Malik: Everybody groove to the music,

Everybody jam,

Everybody groove to the music,

Everybody jam

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........

All: Jam on 'cause we've all got it,

Everybody groove to the music,

Come on now everybody,

Everybody jam,

We've got it going on for years.

Everybody groove to the music,

Jam on 'cause we've all got it,

Everybody jam,

Come on now everybody,

Everybody groove to the music,

We've got it going on for years.

We've got it goin' on! =D'

When the song came to a close, the room erupted in applause again. 'Man, that was good!' Duke called out.

'With a dance like that, how can we lose!?' Andy added, clapping wildly.

'Oooh, I can't wait to see that on the real stage!' Xantcha gasped, eyes shining with excitement.

'Me neither!' everyone chorused, and burst out laughing.

Sometime in the banter that followed, Malik noticed Bakura and Ryou talking to Kat and Kitty and pulled Kurry aside to ask her.

'Er, Kurry?'

'Yeah?'

Malik took a deep breath and said, 'I was, uh, wondering if you'd like to go to a dance club with me, erm, us, on Saturday night.' When Kurry looked skeptical he added quickly, 'Don't worry, it's clean. Just good 'ole dancing, that's all.' Kurry looked undecided for a moment, then answered, 'Yeah alright, sounds like fun.'

'Yeah?' said Malik, looking relieved.

'Yeah.'

'Okay, um, cool. We'll come get you around 7:00. It'll be like a triple date.'

'7:00. Gotcha. Thanks.'

He grinned lopsidedly at her.

'No problem.'

As Kurry moved back into the circle of friends, Malik caught Bakura's eye and gave him a thumbs up. Bakura nodded and returned the gesture, along with Ryou a second later. Malik sighed inwardly with relief. Phase 1 was complete. Now they just had to wait until Saturday.

* * *

There was a hubbub of excited chatter among the three dancers when they got back to their dorms. Upon entering Kitty and Kat's dorm, the sisters settled themselves on the beds to chat while their friend curled up in the huge armchair.

'Yay! I can't believe they asked us out! =D' Kitty squealed.

Kat was beaming. 'I know, it's gonna be great!'

Kurry smiled. 'They're being such nice friends,' she sighed.

Kitty giggled slyly. 'A little more than friends soon, I hope.'

Kat nodded appreciatively, but Kurry raised her head with an odd look on her face. 'What?'

The sisters looked guiltily pleased. Kurry groaned. 'Oh no you two, DON'T tell me you're falling for them!'

'Okay, we won't then,' Kitty joked.

Kurry got up to sit on the edge of the bed. 'Guys, you can't let it go farther than it already is. Just stay friends and let it go at that.'

'Why?' Kat asked, looking a little pained.

'Because you'll only end up being hurt! I mean, we're leaving as soon as the competition's over. What are the chances that you'll ever see Bakura and Ryou again?'

The sisters had to admit that it was slim to none. Kurry sighed and gently took her friends' hands. 'I don't want to see my two best friends be miserable for the rest of their lives,' she said, 'so please, just be careful.'

'Okay,' Kat said dejectedly. Kitty nodded as well.

'Good. And I want you to know, I'll be sad to leave too. But it'll be better this way.'

'Yeah.'

* * *

'Can you believe it's been two weeks already?' Ryou gasped, exhaling as he lifted 120 kilos.

'I know. On Sunday we put the routines together with the rest of the show,' Malik reminded them, spotting for Ryou.

Bakura was practicing the kendo stick, whirling and twisting with powerful strokes. He paused long enough to add, 'Yeah, and if we don't make a good impression on Saturday we'll never get another chance, 'cause we'll never get them alone again.'

'Oh c'mon, it shouldn't be that hard,' Malik scoffed.

'Hn. You just watch,' Bakura told him, resuming practice.

Malik helped Ryou lift the weights back into the rut, then both of them went to watch Bakura. The mats were empty; everyone always cleared out when Bakura was on the floor. He kept practicing while conversing with Ryou and Malik.

All of a sudden Ryou smirked and nudged Malik. 'Hey, take a quick glance over by the window and tell me what you see.'

Malik's eyes darted towards the window, then widened and he looked away. 'Gee, I wonder how long she's been there.'

Ryou chuckled. 'Hey Bakura,' he called, 'look over by the window.'

Bakura whirled, bringing his kendo to a halt in the same move. Then he balked, eyes wide. Kat was outside, watching him with growing admiration in her eyes. Bakura looked completely flabbergasted for an instant, then brought the kendo stick up into a smart salute and bowed. Kat suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing, went a brilliant shade of scarlet and disappeared.

Bakura rounded on his friends. 'How long was she there?' he growled, feeling self-conscious, a rare thing for him.

'I honestly don't know,' Malik said, grinning. 'Ryou noticed her.'

'Yeah, and she noticed Bakura,' Ryou chortled. 'Maybe she doesn't hate you as much as you thought.'

All of a sudden Bakura couldn't stop grinning. 'Ya think?'

'Gee, just maybe!' Malik chuckled.

'Har de har har.'

Ryou suddenly elbowed Malik. 'Hey! What about Kurry?'

'What _about_ Kurry?'

'Well, Bakura and I have gone absolutely nuts over the other two, don't tell me you don't feel anything for Kurry.'

Malik shrugged, but a faint blush spread over his face. 'Uh, we...kinda got off to a bad start. We're barely friends,' he tried to explain, not very convincingly.

Ryou looked like he didn't believe Malik. 'Uh huh. That didn't answer my question.'

Malik sweatdropped and knew he was caught. He couldn't keep anything from his white-haired friend. 'Um, well...aw, alright. So maybe I do. Just a little.' And he hopped off the bench and walked over to talk to the rental guy, whistling innocently.

The two albinos sent significant glances at each other.

'Denial!'

* * *

On the way back from the gym, Malik wandered into the dorms, having escaped the teasing of his friends. He was rounding a corner when he nearly collided with someone.

'Ah!...oh, wha?...Malik! Hi.'

Malik blinked. 'Oh, hey Kurry,' he said, suddenly remembering the conversation in the gym.

'Listen, about tomorrow night...I accidentally let it slip to Andy that we were going and now she wants to come too. Duke said we could all go in his Jeep. Is...is that okay?' Kurry said in a rush.

'Huh? Oh, yeah sure, no problem,' Malik answered, grinning.

'Oh, good.' Kurry looked relieved. 'I was...kindaworried BUT anyways, I'll go tell them.' She turned to go.

'Kurry!' he called suddenly.

'Hm?' She faced him, golden hair swirling about her shoulders.

He hesitated. Should he tell her? 'Ah, I...hope you like it there. It's...really cool.'

She raised an eyebrow, then said, 'Okay, thanks,' and disappeared.

Malik blinked, staring after her, then rolled his eyes at himself. Well, I guess we know who wins the 'lamest sentence of the year' competition. What a goofball I am. He continued to berate himself all the way across the courtyard, not seeing the pair of sapphire eyes watching him warily from a window in the girl's dorm.

* * *

Saturday was spent in a frenzy of practice and getting ready for the evening. Despite their convictions NOT to get involved with the guys, the girls couldn't resist picking out outfits. Kurry chose light blue jeans with a flame pattern up each leg, a soft purple tank top and her denim jacket. Kitty went with her black 3¼ length sleeve shirt and flared black pants. Kat decided on an off-the-shoulder cotton tank (in green of course) and black pants as well. All three brushed their hair until it shone, then Kat pulled hers back into the usual ponytail and the other two left theirs down.

By quarter to seven the boys and Andy were gathered in the oval awaiting Duke, who had dashed off to gas up the Jeep. Ryou kept tugging nervously at his jacket, while Bakura had his fists jammed deep in his pockets and had zoned out, staring blankly at the pavement. Malik, pacing worriedly, kept glancing at his watch. 'Well, we'd better go get the girls,' he sighed.

Andy glanced behind him and smirked. 'Nevermind, dude.'

'Why?'

'They're here,' a voice answered behind him. Malik whirled, Bakura and Ryou's heads shot up and all three stared openly as the dancers walked up. Kurry sauntered sedately over to Malik, whose jaw was on the floor. 'Are we ready to go?' she asked calmly.

'Uh....' Malik fought to regain his power of speech. 'Um...Duke just went to gas up the Jeep.'

'Okay,' she said simply, and slipped past to talk to Andy.

Kitty sidled up to Ryou, smiling shyly. 'Hey Ryou.'

Ryou blinked. 'Hi. Gee Kitty, you...you look...really...wow,' he stammered, making Kitty blush. 'Thanks. You too.' They both chuckled self-consciously.

Bakura was completely stunned as Kat walked up to him. 'Hey,' was all she said. Bakura was just about to think that his melting theory was gonna come true when he was saved by the honk of the Jeep.

'Finally!' Andy called jokingly. 'I was beginning to think you'd left without us! =D'

Duke grinned nonchalantly. 'I couldn't BELIEVE the price of gas!' he answered. 'I might have to start running the darn thing on sugar!' He patted his Jeep fondly and held open the door for the girls.

'Works for us! =D'

They were about to leave when Kurry spotted a dark figure crossing the oval and stopped them. Opening the window, she yelled, 'Hey Xantcha!' The dark haired girl jogged over. 'Moo. Whassup?'

Blinking slightly at the 'Moo', Kurry asked, 'We're going clubbing. Wanna come?'

'Well, I'm not really dressed for it...' Xantcha hesitated, but the others insisted she looked fine and finally she relented. Clambering in, they finally headed out.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the club. Following Malik inside, the newcomers took a gander around the place, getting comfortable with their surroundings.

The dance floor took up the center of the room, surrounded on two sides by a raised section of tables. The DJ was on the far wall and the soda bar was at the back. Duke and Andy made a beeline for the soda bar, while Xantcha disappeared into the crowd. Malik led their little group over to an empty booth.

Sliding deliberately in next to each other, the girls sat on one side of the table. Slightly confused, the guys had no choice but to sit beside each other. Satisfied, Kurry leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.

'Listen guys, we had an idea for outfits for the competition. We figure if you guys wear dark pants and light tops and we wear dark tops and light pants, it'll kinda contrast nicely on stage. You'd wear something kinda like what Ryou is wearing and we'd wear something like what I'm wearing.'

Ryou blinked, then blushed slightly when everyone turned to study him. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark blue jeans, with his cough leather cough jacket overtop. =D

Bakura nodded. 'Uh huh, I can see us working that. How about Ryou and I go like that but Malik can leave out the jacket so he stands out 'cause he's the lead...'

'Oh yeah, like I wanna stand out more,' Malik muttered darkly.

'...then you two can match and Kurry can stand out as well,' Bakura finished, ignoring Malik.

They all contemplated that for a moment, then Kitty nodded. 'Sounds good to me. Let's do it that way, it'll be easier on everyone.'

The rest of them nodded before Bakura slipped off to get sodas. Kurry sighed deeply, leaning back into the plush seat. Since the other girls were engaged in conversation with Ryou, Malik leaned across the table and spoke in a low voice.

'You alright?'

Kurry glanced at him tiredly, then blinked and sat up. 'Yeah, just thinking about the competition, getting butterflies, that sort of thing.' Malik grinned, resting his chin on his hand. 'Well, don't get too nervous or you'll never make it.'

'Thanks for the vote of confidence,' Kurry chuckled, setting her elbows on the table.

There was a pause, then Kurry absently reached forward and fingered a lock of Malik's hair. He raised an eyebrow and she realized what she was doing. Her hand shot back like she'd been touching a hot iron.

'Sorry,' she said quickly, embarrassed.

'No problem. What, you like my hair or something?' Malik joked.

Kurry lowered her eyes, fighting the blush that was spreading over her face. 'Er...well, I was wondering how you got it like that. I thought it might be hair gel, but your hair's too soft...'

Malik ran a hand casually through the sandy-blond locks. 'No, actually it grows like this. It's crazy, heh, kinda like me.'

Kurry hid a smile. 'Yeah.'

Bakura came back with the sodas just then and their conversation was halted. About halfway through the sodas, Kitty's quick ear caught the opening bar of a familiar song.

'Ooo, I love this song!' she gasped.

'So go dance,' Ryou prompted.

Kitty glanced at the other two. 'Girls?'

Kurry nodded. 'Let's go do what we do best.'

The girls slid out of the booth and descended the stairs, slipping smoothly onto the dance floor. Back in the booth, Ryou fidgeted, looked undecided for a moment, then glanced at Bakura.

'Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!' Bakura smirked. Ryou beamed and practically leaped out of the booth to watch Kitty. Bakura followed a moment later, grinning apologetically at Malik. Malik waved him off, also grinning...then a peculiar look came over his face and he too slid out of his seat.

"Oooooooh

Ooooooooh

Ooooooooh

Ooooooooh"

Kurry let herself slip into a trance-like state, feeling the beat pulse through her body. Moving as one with the music, she let go of all inhibitions and began to dance.

"I could tell when I stepped in the room,

And I saw you standing there,

Identified by the way that you moved,

I couldn't help the way I stared,

There was some mysterious force,

Leading me here to you,

Lead me to you..."

Malik stole unnoticed along the railing that separated the dance floor from the seating section, keeping his eyes on Kurry. She was captivating when she danced. Watching her, he discovered that he couldn't look away.

"So I stood there watching,

And I was hypnotized,

By the rhythm of your body,

And the music in your eyes,

I was lost inside your world with you,

Ooooooooooh..."

Avidly gazing down at her, Malik found himself wishing that he was out there, dancing with her.

"Hey Mr. DJ, keep playing this song for me,

Out on the floor in my arms,

She's gotta be

Let's get it on, jam all night long,

Mr. DJ, Mr. DJ,

Play it play it for me."

Bakura was leaning against the wall, watching Kat from the corner of his eye. He found her...interesting, to say the least. And beautiful. And stunning. He'd been unwilling to admit he liked her, as he'd sworn he'd never lose his heart to someone who could break it. But now, seeing her so...alluring, he was beginning to think that loving someone couldn't be that bad.

"Now it feels like it could be romance,

As we dance across the floor,

Every move that your body makes,

Only makes me want you more,

And it feels like time's moving fast,

How can we make it last,

Make it last now..."

Ryou was fighting with himself as to whether or not to join Kitty on the dance floor. He felt the time pressure on him, like something behind him was urging him on. He really had very little time left in which to tell her his feelings. Yet he held back, unsure because of his inner shyness. Kitty was so different than any other girl he'd ever known and that only made her more intriguing. He felt drawn to her, like she'd captured some part of him. Ryou mused on that for a minute, then realized – his heart.

"As you keep on dancing,

I am hypnotized

By the rhythm of your body,

And the music in your eyes,

I was lost inside your world with you,

Oooooooooooh..."

Malik stood at the top of the stairs, frozen with indecision. Kurry was right there; hopefully she wouldn't mind him watching her. But he wanted more then that. He wanted to see what it was like in her world when she danced. Abruptly he found himself moving forward, his feet carrying him to her of their own volition.

"Hey Mr DJ, keep playing this song for me,

Out on the floor in my arms,

She's gotta be

Let's get it on, jam all night long,

Mr. DJ, Mr. DJ,

Play it play it play it for me.

Close your eyes,

And imagine this dance,

Let the music turn your rhythm on,

Turn your rhythm on, yeah.

I am lost, lost inside a groove with you,

When you do the dance you do,

C'mon and work your body, work your body."

Malik took a deep breath and slid behind Kurry. Placing his hands on her hips he felt her stiffen in surprise and then meld back with the beat. He kept pace, swaying.

"Hey, Mr. DJ,

Jam all night long,

Hey Mr. DJ,

Play that song for me,

Hey, Mr. DJ,

Jam all night long,

Hey Mr. DJ,

Play that song for me."

Kurry was almost finished her dance when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and someone press against her from behind. Twisting, she saw a flash of violet and realized it was Malik. Almost involuntarily, she leaned into him, still swaying. Both shifted so they were moving at the same pace with each other and the music.

"Hey Mr. DJ, keep playing this song for me,

Out on the floor in my arms,

She's gotta be

Let's get it on, jam all night long,

Mr. DJ, Mr. DJ,

Play it, hey, play it...

Hey Mr. DJ, keep playing this song for me,

Out on the floor in my arms,

She's gotta be

Let's get it on, jam all night long,

Mr. DJ, Mr. DJ,

Play it play it, play it for me DJ."

Kurry unconsciously interlaced her fingers with Malik's so she could keep her balance. Malik was hardly breathing; she hadn't pulled away. He lowered his head just over her shoulder and when she raised her head at the movement their lips were literally centimeters apart. Amethyst eyes met sapphire and all time stopped.

"Keep it cool Mr. DJ,

Keep it cool Mr. DJ

Keep it cool Mr. DJ

Keep it cool Mr. DJ..."

As the song faded away, Malik forgot himself, completely lost in her eyes. He leaned just a little closer, surprised when she leaned in too...

...he was so close, she could feel his breath on her face, they were less than an inch apart, so close...

Suddenly Kurry blinked as if waking out of a dream. _What am I doing??!!_ she thought frantically.

Malik was jerked back into himself when Kurry wrenched away from him. She backed up, staring at him with uncertain eyes. 'Oh, I can't,' she whispered, and whirling, she disappeared into the crowd. Malik stared after her, so caught up in the moment that he didn't really comprehend what she was saying. Blinking, he glanced around, saw Kitty and Ryou dancing nearby, (the latter having finally gotten up the courage to dance) and Bakura and Kat beyond them, having found an avid dance partner in each other. Malik sighed, still feeling the warmth of her against him. A confused and slightly hurt look crossed his face.

_What on Earth did I do wrong?_

* * *

Outside, Kurry was pacing back and forth, gulping in cool air to steady her nerves.

_Oh gods, no, I can't! I can't, I won't get close to him! I won't let myself get close to him! We're leaving in little more than two weeks, I can't afford to feel anything for him...I don't want to feel anything for him! He's just like all the other guys...but that dance was kinda nice... Suddenly her hand flew to her mouth and she stopped dead. Dear Ra, he...he nearly kissed me! That means he...oh no, oh no, what am I going to do??_

Just then Kurry heard honking behind her. A black SUV pulled up to the sidewalk and Yami rolled down the window. 'Kurry?'

'Yami!' She dashed over to him. 'Can you give me a ride? I'm kinda stuck.'

'Sure, no problem. Are you hurt?'

'No, no, I'm fine. Just let me grab my stuff.'

Kurry hurried back into the club, avidly avoiding Malik. On the way back she nearly ran down Xantcha and a fellow with really spiky hair. ((A/N: One guess who that is and it ain't Yugi! XD))

'Oh, Xantcha! Listen, tell Kitty not to worry, I'm hitching a ride back with Yami and I'll explain everything when they get back, okay? Oh, and I hope y'all have a good time. 'Kay?'

Xantcha looked confused. 'Uh, okay, but...'

'Thanks, see ya!'

'What was that all about?' asked the spiky-haired guy in a deep voice.

Xantcha rose a worried eyebrow. 'I'm not sure, but I'm willing to bet it wasn't good. C'mon, let's go find Kitty.'

* * *

In the SUV, Kurry stared out the window, worried expressions crossing her face. Occasionally she would mutter, 'Left here please,' or something of the sort. Finally Yami asked quietly, 'Are you alright? You seem a little distraught.'

At his concerned words Kurry found herself pouring out the whole story.

'...and once we leave there's a slim-to-none chance we'll ever see them again and I told my friends that so they wouldn't get hurt when we had to leave and then I had to go and fall for....' She broke off abruptly with a gasp, eyes wide.

'So you do like him?' Yami prompted.

Kurry sat stunned, the realization of what she'd just said coming upon her. 'I- I don't know,' she murmured, almost to herself. 'I mean, I'm fighting myself on this. I just don't want to be hurt, and I don't want to hurt him either. I- I don't know anything anymore.' She turned to her tri-colour haired friend. 'Oh Yami, what am I going to do?'

Yami considered carefully before answering. 'If you ask me,' he said slowly, pulling up to the school gates and parking while he spoke, 'I'd say follow what your heart tells you, because sometimes the heart is wiser than the mind. Okay?'

Kurry sighed, taking a shaky breath. 'O- okay.'

'You gonna be okay now?'

'Yeah. Thanks Yami.'

'Anytime. See ya later.'

As he drove off, Kurry's face fell again. _Follow my heart. Right. How can I be sure if my heart is telling me the right thing? _Shivering against the sudden breeze, she turned and hurried back to her dorm.

* * *

Half an hour later, the others arrived back at the school. The girls bade the boys goodnight, thanked them for a lovely evening and headed off to their dorms. Splitting up in the hallway, Andraaia slipped into her dorm and was surprised to find it empty. Xantcha disappeared, and Kitty and Kat entered their dorm to find Kurry sitting with a vacant expression in the large armchair.

'Kurry!' Kitty gasped. 'What on earth happened!? You scared the life out of us by disappearing like that! We thought you'd been kidnapped!'

'I'm sorry,' Kurry mumbled glumly.

Kitty paused in her outburst, then shrugged out of her coat and went to sit beside her friend. Putting an arm about her, Kitty asked quietly, 'What happened Kurry?'

Kurry was staring ahead blankly, still running the evening's events through her mind. 'He almost kissed me,' she intoned.

'He _what_?' Kat repeated, astonished.

'Malik! He almost kissed me! Ad the worst part is I almost kissed him back!' Kurry was starting to panic. She leapt out of the chair and began pacing. 'This was NOT how it was supposed to be! This was a purely business trade, pooling our resources to compete! It was supposed to be working together for a month on this competition and then it would be over with. But now there are things going around in my heart that could make it all more complicated and I don't want that!' She sank onto the chair again, completely at a loss. 'If I allow myself to fall for him, I won't want to go back to the way things were and that scares me. It might have been better if I never met Malik at all!' Her head dropped into her hands and Kurry scrubbed tiredly at her face. 'Dear Ra, girls, what am I supposed to do?'

Kitty and Kat sent a glance at each other before Kat replied, 'Well, you could try accepting him, as we've done.'

Kurry's head shot up. 'What? You...you guys...?'

Kitty gently cut her off. 'Yes, we did. We can't deny what we feel, and neither should you.'

'But there's hardly a chance we'll ever see them again and if I accept him and then leave, I'll end up hurting him AND myself!' Kurry protested.

Kat shook her head earnestly. 'No, you can make it work! That's what letters and such are for! Kurry, hun, you'll hurt him more if you snub him now.'

Kitty nodded gravely. 'You should've seen Malik's face. He looked utterly terrified when Xan told us you'd disappeared and then was totally worried all the way home.'

Kurry lowered her head again, fighting back tears. 'I...I find that hard to believe. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is.'

Kitty stood up slowly. 'It's your decision, okay? We're still your friends, of course, no guy is worth our friendship. But think about it hun. You may be overreacting. Don't blind yourself to your feelings.'

Kurry nodded. 'I'll try,' she whispered, and left for her room.

Andy was already asleep when Kurry slipped into the dorm. Unable to sleep herself, she curled up in the huge armchair in the corner and stared out the window. Kurry stayed up for a long time that night, trying desperately to come up with a solution. But love is fickle and blinded her to the truth. No matter which way she thought about it, she always came to the same conclusion; it would be safer to deny that dance.

Finally so exhausted it felt like the room was spinning, Kurry fell asleep in the chair, just as the first light of dawn began to colour the sky.

* * *

GAH! I love this chapter! EEEEEEE! Sorries, I'm still hyper. Calming down, calming down. Ahem. Anywho, hope you all enjoyed this and I'll get to work on the next chapter. =D

(By the way, my format is changed to fit the new QuickEdit thing. Now thoughts are in italics, dividers show a change of scene or perspective, talking is like this; 'talk' and songs are like this; "song". Okay? Okay. Good. =D)


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